U.S. patent number 8,323,156 [Application Number 10/557,401] was granted by the patent office on 2012-12-04 for leg training equipment.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Panasonic Corporation. Invention is credited to Kouichi Ishino, Minoru Kawamoto, Kazuhiro Ochi, Takahisa Ozawa, Youichi Shinomiya, Yuritsugu Toyomi.
United States Patent |
8,323,156 |
Ozawa , et al. |
December 4, 2012 |
Leg training equipment
Abstract
A leg training equipment has a base fixed in place, a support
portion configured to support a part of a user's body, and a
coupling mechanism provided between the base and the support
portion. The coupling mechanism movably couples the support portion
to the base such that a load applied to a leg of the user by the
user's own weight changes by a relative positional displacement
between a foot position and a position of center of gravity of the
user. In addition, the coupling mechanism limits a movable
direction of the support portion such that at least when the load
applied to the leg increases, a direction of the relative
positional displacement between the foot position and the position
of center of gravity is substantially limited to a direction of
flexion and extension of knee joint. Thereby, it is possible to
efficiently provide the user with an exercise that applies less
load on the knee joint.
Inventors: |
Ozawa; Takahisa (Neyagawa,
JP), Shinomiya; Youichi (Ibaraki, JP),
Ochi; Kazuhiro (Osaka, JP), Toyomi; Yuritsugu
(Hikone, JP), Ishino; Kouichi (Hikone, JP),
Kawamoto; Minoru (Hikone, JP) |
Assignee: |
Panasonic Corporation (Osaka,
JP)
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Family
ID: |
33549127 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/557,401 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2004 |
PCT
Filed: |
May 21, 2004 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/JP2004/007344 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
November 18, 2005 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2004/110568 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
December 23, 2004 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20060229170 A1 |
Oct 12, 2006 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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May 21, 2003 [JP] |
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2003-144013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
482/95; 482/142;
601/35; 482/79; 482/51; 601/26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
21/068 (20130101); A63B 22/16 (20130101); A63B
22/18 (20130101); A63B 21/00178 (20130101); A61H
1/003 (20130101); A61H 1/0255 (20130101); A63B
24/00 (20130101); A61H 1/0229 (20130101); A63B
21/00181 (20130101); A63B 23/0405 (20130101); A63B
69/0053 (20130101); A63B 2230/20 (20130101); A63B
2208/0285 (20130101); A61H 2203/0406 (20130101); A63B
2225/093 (20130101); A63B 2220/51 (20130101); A63B
2230/60 (20130101); A63B 2220/13 (20130101); A61H
2201/164 (20130101); A61H 2201/5061 (20130101); A63B
23/0494 (20130101); A63B 2208/0204 (20130101); A61H
2201/5092 (20130101); A61H 2201/1215 (20130101); A61H
2203/0425 (20130101); A61H 2203/0481 (20130101); A63B
2208/0233 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
23/04 (20060101); A63B 21/068 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;482/69,95,51,79,142
;601/24,26,34,35,23,29,33,36 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2 769 510 |
|
Apr 1999 |
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FR |
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2 352 627 |
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Feb 2001 |
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GB |
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05-329226 |
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Dec 1993 |
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JP |
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11-155836 |
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Jun 1999 |
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JP |
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2002-200193 |
|
Jul 2002 |
|
JP |
|
2003-062020 |
|
Mar 2003 |
|
JP |
|
WO-91/00755 |
|
Jan 1991 |
|
WO |
|
WO-03/024538 |
|
Mar 2003 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Supplementary European Search Report for the Application No. EP 04
74 5385 dated Jul. 11, 2008. cited by other .
International Search Report. cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Thanh; Loan
Assistant Examiner: Hwang; Victor K
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cheng Law Group, PLLC
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A leg training equipment comprising: a base fixed in place; a
support portion configured to support a part of a user's body such
that at least a part of the user's own weight acts on a leg of the
user including a femoral region, and configured to be movable
relative to said base such that a load applied to the leg by the
user's own weight changes by a relative positional displacement
between a foot position and a position of center of gravity of the
user; a drive unit configured to move said support portion; and a
coupling mechanism configured to couple said support portion, and
configured to limit a movable direction of said support portion
such that at least when the load applied to the leg increases, a
direction of the relative positional displacement between the foot
position and the position of center of gravity is substantially
limited to a direction of flexion and extension of the user's knee
joint, wherein said support portion is configured to be at least
inclinable or slidable diagonally forward relative to said
base.
2. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein said
support portion comprises a footplate, on which the user's foot is
placed.
3. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 2, wherein said
footplate is coupled to said base through said coupling mechanism
so as to be movable relative to said base in at least one of
horizontal and vertical directions.
4. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 3, wherein said
coupling mechanism comprises an elastic member disposed at a bottom
side of said footplate.
5. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein said
supporting portion comprises a support means configured to support
the user in a sitting posture.
6. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 5, wherein said
support means comprises a seat member configured to support a hip
of the user, and said seat member is movably coupled in an
oscillating manner to said base through said coupling
mechanism.
7. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 6, wherein the
drive unit is configured to move said seat member in the
oscillating manner.
8. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 6, wherein said
seat member comprises a post coupled to said base through said
coupling mechanism, a saddle disposed at a top end of said post to
support the hip of the user, and a joining means configured to join
said saddle with said post to provide at least one of a parallel
movement and a rotational movement of said saddle in a plane
intersecting with an axial direction of said post.
9. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein said
joining means movably supports said saddle to said post in a seesaw
fashion.
10. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein
said joining means slidably supports said saddle so that said
saddle is moved repeatedly in the plane intersecting the axial
direction of said post.
11. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 10, comprising
a saddle drive unit configured to provide a slide movement of said
saddle relative to said post.
12. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein
said post is retractable in its longitudinal direction, and the leg
training equipment comprises a post drive unit configured to
provide extension and contraction of said post.
13. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein
said post is retractable in its longitudinal direction, and the leg
training equipment further comprises a footplate on which the
user's foot is placed, and a control unit configured to control a
first drive unit configured to move said seat member in the
oscillating manner in synchronization with at least one of a second
drive unit configured to drive said footplate, a third drive unit
configured to provide extension and contraction of said post, and a
fourth drive unit configured to provide a slide movement of said
saddle so that said saddle is moved repeatedly in the plane
intersecting the axial direction of said post.
14. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein
said support portion comprises a support means configured to
support the user in a hanging posture.
15. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 14, wherein
said support means comprises a body holding unit configured to hold
the user's body in the hanging posture and movably coupled in an
oscillating manner to said base through said coupling mechanism,
and a footplate on which the user's foot is placed, and wherein the
leg training equipment further comprises an interlock unit
configured to provide a motion of said footplate in synchronization
with the oscillating motion of said body holding unit.
16. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 15, wherein
said body holding unit comprises a waist holding member configured
to hold the user's waist, and a hanging member for the user
configured to be retractable in its axial direction.
17. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 15, wherein
the drive unit is configured to move said body holding unit in an
oscillating manner.
18. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 15, comprising
a first drive unit configured to move said body holding unit in an
oscillating manner, a second drive unit configured to move said
footplate, and a control unit configured to control the first drive
unit and the second drive unit in a synchronous manner.
19. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein
said coupling mechanism limits the movable direction of said
support portion such that a distance between the foot position and
a hip position of the user is kept substantially constant.
20. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein
said support portion comprises a seat member configured to support
a hip of the user and coupled to said base through said coupling
mechanism, and a footplate on which the user's foot is placed, and
said drive unit is configured to oscillate said seat member
relative to said base, and the leg training equipment further
comprises an interlock unit configured to provide a motion of said
footplate in synchronization with the oscillating motion of said
seat member.
21. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 20, further
comprising a first drive unit configured to move said seat member
in the oscillating manner, a second drive unit configured to move
said footplate, and a control unit configured to control the first
drive unit and the second drive unit in a synchronous manner.
22. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 21, wherein
said control unit controls the motions of said seat member and said
footplate to provide a reciprocating oscillating motion of said
seat member between a position where said seat member is in an
upright posture against said base and a position where said seat
member is in an inclined posture against the upright posture by an
angle of 5 degrees or less, so that a knee angle of the user is
kept at 40 degrees or less, and a reciprocating number per second
of the reciprocating oscillating motion of said seat member is 2 or
less.
23. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 20, wherein
said interlock unit provides the motion of said footplate in
synchronization with the oscillating motion of said seat member
such that a bending angle of the knee joint of the user is in a
range of 45 degrees or less when the position of center of gravity
of the user is changed under a condition that the user sits on said
seat member and places the foot on said footplate.
24. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 20, wherein
said interlock unit provides the motion of said footplate in
synchronization with the oscillating motion of said seat member
such that a bending angle of the knee joint of the user is kept
substantially constant when the position of center of gravity of
the user is changed.
25. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 20, wherein
said interlock unit selectively provides a first exercise mode
where the motion of said footplate is provided in synchronization
with the oscillating motion of said seat member such that a bending
angle of the knee joint of the user is in a range of 45 degrees or
less when the position of center of gravity of the user is changed
under a condition that the user sits on said seat member and places
the foot on said footplate, and a second exercise mode where the
motion of said footplate is provided in synchronization with the
oscillating motion of said seat member such that the bending angle
of the knee joint of the user is kept substantially constant when
the position of center of gravity of the user is changed, and
wherein the leg training equipment comprises a selector configured
to select one of the first exercise mode and the second exercise
mode.
26. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, further
comprising a measurement unit configured to measure a physiological
measurement value concerning metabolism, an evaluation unit
configured to determine the metabolism from an output of said
measurement unit, a load applying unit configured to apply a load
to the user, and a control unit configured to control a magnitude
of the load to be applied to the user by said load applying unit
according to the metabolism provided from said evaluation unit.
27. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 26, wherein
said evaluation unit assigns weights to the physiological
measurement value by use of a weighting factor, which is one of a
volume of muscles for an exercise provided by said load applying
unit and a volume of red muscles for said exercise, thereby obtain
a weighted physiological measurement value as the metabolism.
28. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, comprising
a load sensor provided on said support portion to detect a load
applied to the leg relative to the user's own weight, and a
load-change informing unit configured to inform a change of the
load detected by said load sensor with respect to time to the user
in a real-time manner.
29. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, comprising
an input unit configured to input data of the user, a calculation
unit configured to calculate an appropriate range of a pressure to
be applied to said support portion by the user according to the
data input from said input unit, a pressure sensor configured to
detect a pressure actually applied to said support portion by the
user, and a display unit configured to indicate the appropriate
range provided by said calculation unit and the actual pressure
value detected by said pressure sensor to the user.
30. The leg training equipment as set forth in claim 1, comprising
an input unit configured to input data of the user, a calculation
unit configured to calculate an appropriate range of a pressure to
be applied to said support portion by the user according to the
data input from said input unit, a pressure sensor configured to
detect a pressure actually applied to said support portion by the
user, and a control unit configured to control said coupling
mechanism in a feedback manner such that the pressure value
detected by said pressure sensor is kept within said appropriate
range.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an equipment, which can be used by
a user having knee pain to efficiently train leg muscles, and also
preferable for the purpose of beauty exercises or overcoming
physical laziness.
BACKGROUND FIELD
In the past, stationary cycling machines (indoor exercise bike) and
stationary running machines (treadmill) have been well known as
exercise assist devices for allowing a user to voluntarily train
leg muscles. On the other hand, as another exercise assist devices
for providing a passive exercise to the user without the user's
voluntary action, horse-riding exercise machines (e.g., Japanese
Patent Publication [kokai] No. 11-155836) have been proposed.
When using the indoor exercise bike or the treadmill, there is a
case that knee flexion and extension exercises are excessively
provided, or a load larger than the user's own weight is applied to
the knee joint. However, these are not appropriate for the user
having knee pain. On the other hand, when using the conventional
horse-riding exercise machines, the load applied to the knee joint
is relatively small because the user sits on a seat during the
exercise. However, since their purpose is to cause a muscle
contraction mainly at the trunk of the body such as a lumbar
portion of back, it is not necessarily enough to effectively cause
leg muscle contraction.
By the way, to prevent lifestyle-related diseases that tend to
rapidly increase in recent years, it is effective to reduce body
fat by aerobic exercise. In addition, when sugar metabolism is
enhanced by actively causing the muscle contraction to improve
insulin sensitivity, it contributes to prevent the
lifestyle-related diseases. To enhance the sugar metabolism by the
muscle contraction, it is effective to cause the muscle contraction
at a femoral region having large volume muscles. On the other hand,
since diabetic patients often have knee pain, they cannot perform
exercises such as squat exercise for effectively causing the muscle
contraction at the femoral region. In addition, even when they
perform a light exercise such as walking, there is a potential for
causing clinical deterioration or an increase in knee pain. Thus,
the persons who cannot perform the exercises have strong desire to
exercise.
Under the circumstances, it is expected to develop equipment for
efficiently training leg muscles, while minimizing the load applied
to the knee.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above problems, a primary concern of the present
invention is to provide a leg training equipment for allowing a
user having knee pain to perform an exercise for causing a muscle
contraction at a femoral region, thereby effectively contributing
to lifestyle-related diseases prevention.
That is, the leg training equipment of the present invention is
characterized by including a base fixed in place, a support portion
configured to support a part of the user's body such that at least
a part of the user's own weight acts on a leg including the femoral
region, and a coupling mechanism configured to movably couple the
support portion to the base such that a load applied to the leg by
the user's own weight changes by a relative positional displacement
between a foot position and a position of center of gravity of the
user, and configured to limit a movable direction of the support
portion such that at least when the load applied to the leg
increases, a direction of the relative positional displacement
between the foot position and the position of center of gravity is
substantially limited to direction of flexion and extension of knee
joint.
According to the invention, it is possible to apply a relatively
light load to muscles of the leg including the femoral region of
the user in a state that the part of the user's body is supported
by the support portion. That is, since the relatively light load
applied to the user enhances the muscle contraction at the femoral
portion, which is effective for sugar metabolism, it is possible to
provide appropriate leg training to the user who shows a reduction
in exercise capacity due to arthritic pain and deterioration in
muscle strength. In addition, by continuously using this training
equipment, it is expected to prevent and improve the
lifestyle-related diseases. Furthermore, in the present invention,
the direction of the relative positional displacement between the
foot position and the position of center of gravity of the user is
substantially limited to the direction of flexion and extension of
knee joint. This means that a direction of applying the load can be
limited in a direction of connecting the center of knee and the
second toe. When the load is applied in such a direction, the
training for causing the muscle contraction of the leg can be
safely provided to the user having knee pain such as osteoarthritis
of the knee joint without causing clinical deterioration or knee
pain. As the support portion movably coupled to the base, it is
possible to adopt any one of a footplate on which the user's foot
is placed, a support means configured to support the user in a
sitting posture, or a support means configured to support the user
in a hanging posture. In addition, it is preferred that the
coupling mechanism limits the movable direction of the support
portion such that a distance between the foot position and a hip
position of the user of the user is kept substantially
constant.
In the leg training equipment described above, when the support
portion is provided by the footplate, it is preferred that the
footplate is coupled to the base through the coupling mechanism so
as to be movable relative to the base in at least one of horizontal
and vertical directions.
In the above leg training equipment, when the support portion is
provided by the support means configured to support the user in the
sitting posture, it is preferred that the support means comprises a
seat member configured to support a hip of the user, and movably
coupled in an oscillating manner to the base through the coupling
mechanism. In this case, the oscillating motion of the seat member
can be obtained in a state that the part of the user's body weight
is supported by riding the user's hip on the seat member, so that
the load applied to the leg including the femoral region of the
user enhances the muscle contraction. In addition, it is preferred
to use a drive unit configured to move the seat member in the
oscillating manner. By controlling a magnitude of the load applied
to the user's leg in a passive manner without the user's voluntary
action, the muscle contraction can be enhanced. Therefore, it is
easy for the user having a disturbance in gait due to deterioration
in muscle strength, or needing a rehabilitation exercise to perform
the leg training. In addition, since the drive unit has a guiding
role in the case of repeating the same exercise, the training can
be enjoyably carried out with a sense of amusement.
In the above leg training equipment, it is preferred that the
support portion has a seat member configured to support the user's
hip and movably coupled in the oscillating manner to the base
through the coupling mechanism, and a footplate on which the user's
foot is placed, and that the footplate is movable in
synchronization with the oscillating motion of the seat member by
an interlock unit. In this case, the position of the footplate can
be changed in response to the oscillating motion of the seat member
so as to prevent a change in knee bending angle. That is, since an
exercise substantially equal to isometric contraction becomes
possible, damages caused to the knee by the flexion and extension
of the knee joint can be reduced. Thus, the muscle contraction is
obtained without the flexion and extension of the knee joint.
Therefore, even when the user has knee pain derived from
osteoarthritis of the knee joint, the leg training can be safely
performed. In addition, it is particularly preferred that the leg
training equipment has a first drive unit configured to move the
seat member in the oscillating manner, a second drive unit
configured to move the footplate, and a control unit configured to
control the first drive unit and the second drive unit in a
synchronous manner. By appropriately adjusting the relation between
the first and second drive units, the load applied to the user's
leg can be changed to provide the leg training without
substantially changing the bending angle of the knee joint.
Therefore, the muscle contraction of the femoral region can be
effectively enhanced by changing the load applied to the leg in
accordance with the user's need.
In addition, it is preferred that the seat member has a post
coupled to the base through the coupling mechanism, a saddle
disposed at a top end of the post to support the user's hip, and a
joining means configured to join the saddle to the post to provide
at least one of a parallel movement and a rotational movement of
the saddle relative to the post. In this case, since the movement
of the saddle is provided in addition to the oscillating motion of
the seat member, a change in the position of center of gravity of
the user becomes larger. For example, when the post is inclined and
the saddle is moved, the load applied to the user's leg further
increases due to a larger displacement of the position of center of
gravity of the user. Alternatively, the saddle may be movable in
the direction of decreasing the load applied to the user's leg.
To obtain the rotational movement of the saddle, it is preferred
that the joining means movably supports the saddle to the post in a
seesaw fashion. To obtain the parallel movement of the saddle, it
is preferred that the joining means slidably supports the saddle in
a plane intersecting an axial direction of the post. In this case,
it is particularly preferred that the leg training equipment has a
saddle drive unit configured to provide a slide movement of the
saddle relative to the post.
In the leg training equipment using the seat member, it is
preferred that the post is retractable in its longitudinal
direction, and the leg training equipment has a post drive unit
configured to provide extension and contraction of the post. In
this case, since the bending angle of the knee joint changes in
accordance with the extension and contraction of the post, it is
possible to adjust the magnitude of the load applied to the user's
leg. In addition, the position of the user's hip can be
appropriately adjusted depending on the user's leg length.
According to another preferred embodiment of the leg training
equipment of the present invention, the post is retractable in its
longitudinal direction, and the leg training equipment has a
footplate on which the user's foot is placed, and a control unit
configured to control a first drive unit configured to move the
seat member in an oscillating manner in synchronous with at least
one of a second drive unit configured to drive the footplate, a
third drive unit configured to provide extension and contraction of
the post, and a fourth drive unit configured to provide a slide
movement of the saddle in a plane intersecting an axial direction
of the post. In this case, by combining the first drive unit with
at least one of the second to fourth drive units, it is possible to
increase a degree of freedom of design of exercise program, and
provide various kinds of leg trainings according to the user's
needs.
In the above leg training equipment, it is preferred that the
interlock unit provides the motion of the footplate in
synchronization with the oscillating motion of the seat member such
that a bending angle of the knee joint of the user is in a range of
45 degrees or less when the position of center of gravity of the
user is changed under a condition that the user sits on the seat
member and places the foot on the footplate. In this case, even
when the user has knee pain such as osteoarthritis of the knee
joint, the leg training equipment can be used without causing
clinical deterioration or knee pain. Alternatively, it is preferred
that the interlock unit provides the motion of the footplate in
synchronization with the oscillating motion of the seat member such
that the bending angle of the knee joint of the user is kept
substantially constant when the position of center of gravity of
the user is changed.
In the above leg training equipment, it is also preferred that the
interlock unit selectively provides a first exercise mode where the
motion of the footplate is provided in synchronization with the
oscillating motion of the seat member such that the bending angle
of the knee joint of the user is in the range of 45 degrees or less
when the position of center of gravity of the user is changed under
a condition that the user sits on the seat member and places the
foot on the footplate, and a second exercise mode where the motion
of the footplate is provided in synchronization with the
oscillating motion of the seat member such that the bending angle
of the knee joint of the user is kept substantially constant when
the position of center of gravity of the user is changed, and the
leg training equipment has a selector configured to select one of
the first exercise mode and the second exercise mode.
In addition, it is preferred that the leg training equipment has a
measurement unit configured to measure a physiological measurement
value concerning metabolism, an evaluation unit configured to
determine the metabolism from an output of the measurement unit, a
load applying unit configured to apply a load to the user, and a
control unit configured to control a magnitude of the load to be
applied to the user by the load applying unit according to the
metabolism provided from the evaluation unit. In this case, it is
further preferred that the evaluation unit assigns weights to the
physiological measurement value by use of a weighting factor, which
is one of a volume of muscles for an exercise provided by the load
applying unit and a volume of red muscles for the exercise, thereby
obtaining a weighted physiological measurement value as the
metabolism.
Additionally, it is preferred that the leg training equipment of
the present invention has a load sensor provided on the support
portion to detect a load applied to the leg relative to the user's
own weight, and a load-change informing unit configured to inform a
change of the load detected by the load sensor with respect to time
to the user in a real-time manner. In this case, since the change
of the load applied to the user's leg with respect to time is
indicated to the user in the real-time manner, it is possible to
easily check as to whether an appropriate load is being applied to
the user. When there is excess and deficiency of the load, the user
can perform the exercise under the appropriate load by regulating
the equipment or displacing the position of the user's body.
In addition, it is preferred that the leg training equipment has an
input unit configured to input data of the user, a calculation unit
configured to calculate an appropriate range of a pressure to be
applied to the support portion by the user according to the data
input from the input unit, a pressure sensor configured to detect a
pressure actually applied to the support portion by the user, and a
display unit configured to indicate the appropriate range provided
by the calculation unit and the actual pressure detected by the
pressure sensor to the user. According to this invention, since the
display unit provides the appropriate range of the load determined
by use of data peculiar to the user such as body weight, age,
gender, presence or absence of disease, disease name and clinical
records, the user can perform the leg training, while understanding
the load range best-suited to the individual user.
In addition, it is preferred that the leg training equipment has an
input unit configured to input data of the user, a calculation unit
configured to calculate an appropriate range of a pressure to be
applied to the support portion by the user according to the data
input from the input unit, a pressure sensor configured to detect a
pressure actually applied to the support portion by the user, and a
control unit configured to control the coupling mechanism in a
feedback manner such that the pressure detected by the pressure
sensor is kept within the appropriate range. According to this
invention, since a target range is determined by use of parameters
such as body weight, age, gender, presence or absence of disease,
disease name and clinical records, the load suitable to the user
can be applied. In particular, when the user's body weight is used
as the parameter to be input, and the target range is determined
according to a ratio of the load applied to the leg (mainly the
femoral region) relative to the user's body weight, which is
calculated from the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor,
it is possible to obtain an appropriate target range regardless of
individual differences of the user's body weight. In addition, the
safety of the leg training equipment can be improved by the
feedback control.
In the leg training equipment, it is preferred that the support
means has a body holding unit configured to hold the user's body in
the hanging posture, and movably coupled in an oscillating manner
to the base through the coupling mechanism, and a footplate on
which the user's foot is placed, and that the leg training
equipment further has an interlock unit configured to provide a
motion of the footplate in synchronization with the oscillating
motion of the body supporting unit. In particular, it is preferred
that the body holding unit is provided with a waist holding member
configured to hold the user' waist, and a hanging member for the
user configured to be retractable in its axial direction. This is
useful when it is needed to perform the leg training in a state
that the user's hip does not contact the seat member.
In addition, it is preferred that the leg training equipment has a
drive unit configured to move the body holding unit in an
oscillating manner. In particular, it is preferred that the leg
training equipment has a first drive unit configured to move the
body holding unit in the oscillating manner, a second drive unit
configured to move the footplate, and a control unit configured to
control the first drive unit and the second drive unit in a
synchronous manner.
Further characteristics of the present invention and advantages
brought thereby will become more apparent from the best mode for
carrying out the invention described below.
BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a leg training equipment according
to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2A to 2C are explanatory views showing an operation of the
leg training equipment;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views showing an operation of the
leg training equipment with a movable footplate;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory views showing an operation of the
leg training equipment with a stationary footplate;
FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views showing an operation of a
saddle when a seat member is inclined;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another operation of the
saddle when the seat member is inclined;
FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory views showing an example of a
joining means for the saddle of this embodiment;
FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory views showing another example of
the joining means for the saddle;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing still another example of the
joining means for the saddle;
FIG. 10 is a graph showing measurement results of muscle
metabolism;
FIG. 11 is a graph showing measurement results of sugar
metabolism;
FIG. 12 is a graph showing sensory evaluation results of knee
pain;
FIG. 13 is a graph showing relations between exercise condition and
integrated EMG;
FIG. 14 is a graph showing a relation between own weight ratio
applied to the footplate and reciprocating number of oscillating
motion of the seat member;
FIG. 15 is a graph showing relations between exercise condition and
own weight ratio applied to the footplate;
FIGS. 16A and 16B are explanatory views showing a coupling
mechanism for the seat member according to a modification of this
embodiment;
FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a control unit of the leg training
equipment;
FIG. 18 is a graph showing relations between relative load and
muscle metabolism;
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the leg training equipment
according to a modification of this embodiment;
FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a motion determining device for
extracting a motion pattern for large metabolism;
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of the leg training equipment
according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a coupling mechanism of the leg
training equipment;
FIGS. 23A and 23B are explanatory views showing an operation of the
leg training equipment;
FIG. 24A is a schematic diagram of an interlock unit for a
footplate and a seat member of a leg training equipment according
to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 24B is a
perspective view showing a structure of the footplate;
FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of a first modification of the
footplate of the leg training equipment;
FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram of a second modification of the
footplate of the leg training equipment;
FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram of a third modification of the
footplate of the leg training equipment;
FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of a fourth modification of the
footplate of the leg training equipment;
FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram of a fifth modification of the
footplate of the leg training equipment;
FIGS. 30A and 30B are explanatory views showing an operation of a
leg training equipment according to a fourth embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram of the leg training equipment
according to a modification of this embodiment;
FIG. 32 is a schematic perspective view of a leg training equipment
according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 33A is an explanatory view showing an operation of a coupling
mechanism of the leg training equipment, and FIG. 33B is a diagram
showing footplate positions and a motion path provided by the
coupling mechanism;
FIGS. 34A and 34B are schematic side and top views of a leg
training equipment according to a sixth embodiment of the present
invention;
FIGS. 35A to 35C are schematic side, top and front views of a drive
unit of the leg training equipment;
FIGS. 36A and 36B are explanatory views showing an operation of a
seat position adjuster for the users having different body heights;
and
FIG. 37 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the
footplate of the leg training equipment.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A leg training equipment of the present invention is explained in
detail according to preferred embodiments.
First Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1, the leg training equipment of this embodiment
has a base 1 fixed on a floor surface, a seat member 2 for
supporting a hip of a user, and a pair of footplates 3, on which
the user's feet are placed. The seat member 2 and the footplates 3
are mounted on the base 1 through a coupling mechanism 4, 5. Motors
6, 7 are respectively connected as drive units to the coupling
mechanisms 4, 5, and controlled by a controller 10. The motor 7 is
provided to each of the footplates 3.
The seat member 2 is provided with a post 21, a saddle disposed at
the top end of the post 21 to support the user's hip, and a joint
portion 23 for joining the saddle with the post to provide parallel
and rotational movements of the saddle relative to the post. The
saddle is configured in such a triangular shape that its forward
end portion (front side of the user sitting on the saddle 22) has a
narrower width than the rearward end portion in a top plan view.
The saddle 22 may be configured in another shape such as chair type
or horseback type. A bottom end of the post 21 is coupled to the
coupling mechanism 4.
In this embodiment, the coupling mechanism 4 has rotational shafts
extending in a forward and backward direction and a left and right
direction. For example, the post 21 is pivotally movable in the
forward and backward direction about the rotational shaft extending
in the left and right direction, and a joint including the
rotational shaft extending in the left and right direction is
pivotally movable in the left and right direction about the
rotational shaft extending in the forward and backward direction.
Therefore, according to this coupling mechanism 4, a bottom end of
the post 21 works as fulcrum, the post 21 can be moved back and
forth and around in an oscillating manner. In this embodiment, the
coupling mechanism 4 provides the oscillating motion of the post 21
in an optional direction by use of two motors 6.
The post 21 is retractably formed in a nested structure with a
bottom end portion and a top end portion. The numeral 8 designates
a motor provided as a drive unit at an intermediate portion in the
longitudinal direction of the post 21. A rotation of this motor 8
presents extension and contraction of the post 21. In addition, the
numeral 9 designates a motor provided as the drive unit at the
joint portion 23 between the post 21 and the saddle 22. This motor
9 enables an oscillating motion of the saddle 22 relative to the
post 21 in the forward and backward direction.
The coupling mechanism 5 for the footplates 3 has pantographs 51
disposed on the base 1, and the footplates 3 are mounted on the
pantographs 51. The motors 7 provided as the drive units in the
coupling mechanism 5 enables an up and down movement of the
footplates 3 through extension and contraction of the pantographs
51.
In brief, the seat member 2 can be moved back and forth and around
in the oscillating manner by the motor 6. The up and down movement
of the footplate 3 can be obtained by the motor 7. The extension
and contraction of the post 21 can be obtained by the motor 8. The
motor 9 enables an angular adjustment of the saddle 23 relative to
the post 21 in the forward and backward direction. By respectively
using two motors 6 for the seat member 2, and two motors 7 for the
footplates 3, the total of six motors 6 to 9 are controlled to
obtain a combination of the above-described motions. As described
before, each of the motors 6 to 9 is controlled by the controller
10 having a microcomputer as the main component. In the controller
10, a plurality sets of time-series data for rotational angle of
each of the motors 6 to 9 are installed to obtain an appropriate
load for exercises. Therefore, by selecting an adequate set of
time-series data, a desired operation is achieved.
The motors 6 to 9 are selectively driven in accordance with the
kind of leg training to be provided to the user. Basically, the
motor 6 is always driven to provide the oscillating motion of the
seat member 2. when the other motors 7.about.9 are not used, only
the oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is provided. As
described later, it is preferred to drive at least one of the
motors 7 for moving the footplates 3 and the motor 9 for moving the
saddle 22 in synchronization with the motor 6 for moving the seat
member 2.
Next, a method of using the above-described leg training equipment
is explained. First, the user sits on the saddle 22, and places the
feet on the footplates 3. A positional relation between the
footplates 3 and the saddle 22 can be changed depending on the leg
length of the user by adjusting at least one of heights of the
footplates 3 and the length of the post 21.
When the oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is provided by the
user sitting on the saddle 22, the position of center of gravity of
the user is displaced relative to the foot position of the user.
The center of gravity of the user sitting on the seat member 2 is
located at a slightly forward position of the user's hip. When the
seat member 2 is inclined forward from an upright position, the
position of center of gravity of the user is displaced forward, so
that a ratio of the load applied to the user's leg including the
femoral region relative to the user's own weight increases. In
addition, when the seat member 2 is inclined in the left and right
direction of the user, the load is mainly applied to one leg at the
inclined side of the seat member 2 by the user's own weight. Thus,
since the saddle 22 receives a part of the user's own weight, and
the load applied to the leg (particularly, the femoral region
having a relatively large volume of muscles) is changed by the
oscillating motion of the seat member 2, it is possible to
efficiently realize muscle metabolism.
In the leg training equipment of this embodiment, as described
above, the leg training is performed in a state that the user sits
on the saddle 22 and places the feet on the footplates 3.
Alternatively, the leg training may be performed in a state that
the user places only one foot on the corresponding footplate 3
without sitting on the saddle 22.
By the way, when the user has knee pain, the motor 6 is driven such
that the oscillating direction of the seat member 2 (i.e., a
direction of the relative positional displacement between the
position of center of the gravity of the user and the foot position
on the footplate 3) is limited to a direction of flexion and
extension of knee joint. In this case, a displacement direction of
the center of gravity of the user becomes parallel to the direction
of flexion and extension of knee joint of the user. FIG. 2C is a
view observed from above of the user in the sitting posture, and
each arrow shown in this figure corresponds to the direction of
flexion and extension of knee joint. For example, when time-series
data of the motor 6 is installed in the controller 10 such that the
oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is provided in the
direction of flexion and extension of knee joint, the coupling
mechanism 4 limits the oscillating direction of the seat member 2.
When driving the motor 6, it is preferred that the movable range of
the seat member 2 is limited such that a range of flexion and
extension of knee joint is in a range from the extension position
to 45 degrees. Thus, since the direction of flexion and extension
of knee angle is limited without causing torsion of the knee joint,
and the (angular) range of flexion and extension of the knee joint
is also limited, the user having knee pain such as osteoarthritis
of the knee joint can safely perform the leg training without
clinical deterioration or knee pain.
As described above, when limiting the oscillating direction of the
seat member 2 to the direction of flexion and extension of knee
joint, it is preferred to appropriately determine the foot position
and the toe direction on the footplate 3, or detect the foot
position and the toe direction by use of a sensor, in addition to
the control of the oscillating direction of the seat member 2. In
this embodiment, a mark (not shown) for easily determining the foot
position and the toe direction is provided on the footplate 3. In
addition, it is further preferred the footplate has a toe clip
portion such as a top end portion of slipper or sandal to receive
the toe.
In addition, when the leg training is performed by applying the
load to only one leg, the one leg is placed on the footplate 3, and
the oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is provided in two
planes respectively including a portion for supporting the user's
hip and the second toe of each of the user's legs by the coupling
mechanism 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the seat member
2 is in an upright posture against the base 1, a larger load is
applied to the seat member 2 than the footplate 3 by the user's own
weight. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the seat
member 2 is in the inclined posture to the base 1, the load applied
to the footplate by the user's own weight becomes larger, as
compared with the case of FIG. 2A. That is, the load applied to the
femoral region by the user's own weight is larger in the case of
FIG. 2B than the case of FIG. 2A. In FIG. 2B, a part of the user's
own weight is still applied to the seat member 2, it becomes a
light exercise, as compared with the case of performing squat
exercise by using all of the user's own weight. Thus, the leg
training equipment becomes available to user having knee pain by
adjusting the load applied to the knee joint. In addition, since
the flexion and extension of the knee joint enables without
torsion, clinical deterioration or knee pain can be prevented.
In the present embodiment, since the leg training equipment has the
pair of footplates 3 for both legs, the oscillating direction of
the seat member 2 can be limited every leg such that the direction
of the relative positional displacement between the foot position
and the position of center of gravity is in agreement with the
direction of flexion and extension of knee joint. That is, the user
places the feet on the footplates 3 in a state that the user's leg
are slightly opened from their parallel position, as shown in FIG.
2C. In addition, the oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is not
provided in the forward and backward direction. That is, the
oscillating motion is provided between a position where the seat
member 2 is in the upright posture against the base 1 and a
position where the seat member 2 is inclined in a forward left or
forward right direction. By this motion of the seat member 2, the
load can be alternately applied to each of the legs in such a
manner that when one leg receives the training, the other one leg
is in rest position.
When the user places the feet on the footplates 3 in parallel, and
the oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is provided in the
forward and backward (flexion and extension) direction in a state
that the motions of the footplates 3 are locked to uniformly apply
the load to both legs, there is an advantage that the equipment is
simplified. However, the load applied to each of the legs is 50% of
the user's own weight at a maximum. Therefore, when it is needed to
further increase the load to be applied to the user's leg, it is
preferred to use the leg training equipment described above. In
addition, when the load is applied to the user's legs in the
parallel posture, there is a fear that the load applied to one leg
becomes larger than the load applied to the other leg due to a
difference in muscle strength between the right and left legs or a
difference in degree of knee pain between the right and left knee
joints. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to
alternately provide an appropriate load to each of the legs.
As described above, the footplate 3 is movable to the base 1 in the
up and down direction, and the motion of the footplate 3 can be
controlled in synchronization with the oscillating motion of the
seat member 2. That is, FIG. 3A shows a position of the footplate 3
when the seat member 2 is in the substantially upright posture, and
FIG. 3B shows a position of the footplate 3 when the seat member 2
is in the inclined posture. From these figures, it can be
understood that the footplate 3 is located at a lower position in
the inclined posture than the upright posture of the seat member 2.
This can be achieved by controlling the motor 6 for tilting the
seat member 2 in synchronization with the motors 7 for moving the
footplates 3 in the up and down direction.
Thus, when the footplate is moved downward as the inclination angle
of the seat member 2 increases, the load applied to the user's leg
can be changed by the user's own weight without substantially
changing the bending angle of the knee joint. That is, the leg
muscles can be contracted in a isometric contraction manner, so
that the muscles contraction with less load applied to the user's
knee is obtained. In addition, since the seat member 2 and the
footplate 3 are driven by the motors 6, 7, the user can efficiently
perform the leg training by simply following the motions of the
seat member 2 and the footplates 3 without actively moving its
body.
In addition, when the seat member 2 is inclined from the
substantially upright posture toward one of the left and right
footplates 3, it is preferred to move only the footplate 3 located
at a side of providing the oscillation (inclination) motion of the
seat member 2 in the downward direction. In this case, the load can
be efficiently applied to a desired one of the legs. At this time,
the footplate 3 located at the other side may be slightly moved in
the upward direction. In this case, a larger load can be
efficiently applied to the user's leg by a relatively small
inclination of the seat member 2. The oscillating motion of the
seat member 2 may be repeated for only one of the left and right
legs. Alternatively, it may be alternately provided to each of the
left and right legs.
In addition, as a modification, it is preferred that the footplates
3 are fixed, and the motors 6, 8 are controlled in a synchronous
manner such that the inclination angle of the seat member 2 is
interlocked with the extension and contraction of the post 21. That
is, FIG. 4A shows a length L1 of the post 21 when the seat member 2
is in the upright posture, and FIG. 4B shows a length L2 of the
post 21 when the seat member 2 is in the inclined posture. The
length of the post 21 becomes large (L1<L2) when the seat member
2 is in the inclined posture. In this case, it is possible to
change the load applied to the leg by the user's own weight without
substantially changing the bending angle .theta. of the knee
joint.
The following is a further explanation about a preferred motion
path of the seat member 2 when the footplates are not moved. In
FIGS. 4A and 4B, the post length is extended such that a change in
knee angle does not happen. A distance between the foot and the
hip, specifically between the hip joint and the ankle joint (ankle)
is designated by a radius "R". The inclination angle of the seat
member 2 is controlled such that the hip traces a circular path
having the ankle joint as a rotation center (in figure, the angle
range is designated by ".alpha."). When the angle range ".alpha."
is small, the circular path may be approximated by a linear path
because an error therebetween is negligible.
In this embodiment, since an inclination angle of the saddle 22
relative to the post 21 is changed in the forward and backward
direction by the motor 9, the inclination angle of the seat member
2 and the inclination angle of the saddle 22 can be controlled in
an interlocking manner. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the seat
member 2 is in a substantially upright posture against the base 1,
a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the post 21 is
substantially in parallel to a seating surface of the saddle 22. On
the other hand, when the seat member 2 is inclined, a seesaw motion
of the saddle 22 happens at the joint portion 23 such that a
forward end of the saddle 22 moves downward. At this time, the
plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the post 21 intersects
with the seating surface of the saddle 22. The inclination degree
of the saddle 22 increases as the inclination angle of the seat
member 2 becomes larger. In brief, the load applied to the leg can
be further increased by both of the inclination angles of the seat
member 2 and the saddle 22. On the contrary, when the saddle 22 is
inclined in an opposite direction against the above case as the
inclination angle of the seat member 2 increases, the load applied
to the leg can be reduced as the inclination of the seat member 2
becomes larger.
As described above, when controlling at least two of the motors 6
to 9 in a synchronous manner, it is possible to obtain a motion
that the bending angle of the knee joint is kept constant, change
the ratio of the load applied to the leg relative to the user's own
weight, or adjust a change in load applying pattern with respect to
time. These can be optionally combined, and controlled by the
controller 10 depending on athletic ability and physical condition
of the user to determine an appropriate motion.
In the above explanation, the footplate 3 is movable relative to
the base 1 in the up and down direction (vertical direction).
Alternatively, the footplate may be movable relative to the base 1
in a horizontal (parallel) direction. For example, when it is
controlled that a horizontal distance between the footplate 3 and a
bottom end of the seat member 2 becomes small as the inclination
angle of the seat member 2 increases, the load applied to the leg
can be changed without changing the bending angle of the knee
joint. In addition, when the footplate is movable to relative to
the base 1 in both of the vertical and horizontal directions, the
inclination angle of the seat member 2 may be interlocked with the
movement of the footplate 3.
The structure of the footplate is not limited. For example, it is
preferred that a single spring member is disposed under the
footplate, and a spring constant of the spring member is determined
such that a desired amount of descent is obtained in response to
the load. Alternatively, the amount of descent may be adjusted by
use of a plurality of spring members with different spring
constants in response to the load (e.g., by use of 2-stage spring
having a nonlinear spring constant). In addition, the amount of
decent can be appropriately adjusted by selectively changing the
number used of a plurality of springs having the same spring
constant in response to the user's body weight or the target load.
Moreover, the amount of descent of the footplate may be adjusted by
controlling an air amount of an air piston disposed under the
footplate in response to the user's body weight or instantaneous
value of the load. Furthermore, the position of the footplate may
be controlled by expansion and contraction of an airbag or an air
tube disposed under the footplate depending on the load applied to
the footplate.
In the above case, the inclination angle of the saddle 22 relative
to the top end of the post 21 is changeable in the forward and
backward direction. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the saddle
22 may be sidable in one (forward and backward) direction in a
plane intersecting with the axial direction of the post 21. In this
case, the slide movement of the saddle 22 relative to the post 21
is provided by the motor 9. As the inclination angle of the seat
member 2 increases, the saddle 22 is slid in the forward direction
(in the figure, the dotted line shows a position of the saddle 22
on the seat member 2 in the upright posture), so that the user's
hip moves forward. This allows the user to take a substantially
standing posture, and consequently increases the load applied to
the user's leg.
In the above case, four factors of the inclination angle of the
seat member 2 relative to the base 1, the position of the footplate
3 relative to the base 1, extension and contraction length of the
seat member 2, and the position of the saddle 22 relative to the
post 21 are controlled by use of the motors 6 to 9. Alternatively,
a change in the inclination angle of the seat member 2 is
interlocked with a positional change of the saddle 22 relative to
the post 21. In this case, the motor 9 for driving the saddle 22
can be omitted.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a wire 24 of a rigid
material having poor elongation property is connected between a
forward end of the saddle 22 and the base 1 to change an
inclination angle of the saddle 22 against the post 21. The saddle
22 can be inclined in the forward and backward direction against
the post 21. In addition, the saddle 22 is spring-biased such that
the seating surface of the saddle 22 is returned to a position
substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the post 21.
FIG. 7A designates an upright posture of the seat member 2 against
the base 1, and FIG. 7B designates an inclined posture of the seat
member 2 to the base 1. At this time, since the forward end of the
saddle 22 is restricted by the wire 24, it is inclined forward
against the spring bias, as shown in FIG. 7B. When the seat member
2 takes the upright posture, as shown in FIG. 7A, the saddle 22 is
returned to the original position where the seating surface of the
saddle 22 is substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the
post 21. When a rod having a constant length is used as in place of
the wire 24, it is not needed that the saddle 22 is spring-biased
at the top end of the post 21.
In addition, when the saddle 22 is supported to be sidable to the
post 21, it is preferred that a weight of the forward end of the
saddle 22 is larger than the weight of the backward end thereof.
For example, when the seat member 2 is moved from an upright
posture shown in FIG. 8A to an inclined posture shown in FIG. 8B, a
forward movement of the saddle 22 is obtained by a weight 25.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the post 21 may be connected to
the saddle 22 by use of a ball joint. In this case, the saddle 22
can be inclined to the post 21 in an optional direction. Therefore,
when the seat member 2 is in the upright posture, the post 21
receives most of the load applied to the saddle 22. On the other
hand, when the seat member 2 is inclined, the user's leg partially
receives the own weight, so that muscle contraction happens at the
leg. That is, it is possible to further increase the load applied
to the user's leg when the seat member 2 is in the inclined
posture, as compared with the case of fixing the saddle 22 to the
post 21.
By the way, a major purpose of the leg training equipment is to
enhance sugar metabolism of the user and improve lifestyle-related
diseases. That is, when glucose that is an energy source of muscles
is taken in the muscles, and then metabolized, surplus glucose is
consumed to improve hyperglycemia and elevated levels of insulin in
the plasma, so that an improvement in lifestyle-related diseases
(diabetes, obesity, hyperlipemia and so on) is enhanced. As the
action of uptaking glucose into the muscles, there are insulin
action and muscle contraction action, which are correlated to each
other. When the glucose amount uptaken in the muscles is increased
by the muscle contraction, a promotion of sugar metabolism becomes
possible. In general, a diabetic patient has poor sugar metabolism,
as compared with healthy subject, and the glucose amount uptaken in
the muscles is small. Therefore, surplus glucose can be consumed by
actively causing the muscle contraction to accelerate the sugar
metabolism. Consequently, it contributes to an improvement in
diabetes.
To efficiently obtain sugar metabolism by the muscle contraction,
it is preferred to cause the muscle contraction at the muscles
having large volume (particularly, red muscles (slow muscles)
contributing to aerobic exercise). From this viewpoint, it is
preferred to cause the muscle contraction at the femoral region or
the back of the user. In the conventional horse-riding apparatus,
an increase in sugar metabolism is obtained in the vicinity of
adductor muscle of the femoral region. However, since the volume of
the adductor muscle is only a half of the volume of extensor
muscles of the femoral region, the effect of enhancing sugar
metabolism is relatively small, as compared with the case of
causing the muscle contraction at the extensor muscles. In
addition, although the user rarely puts its feet in stirrups during
the horse-riding exercise, the user's legs are usually kept in a
floating state without contacting the ground. Therefore, the user
performs the training by causing the muscle contraction in a state
that a horseback seat is put between the femoral regions of the
user's legs. Therefore, it becomes a hard exercise in respect of
the magnitude of the load applied to the femoral regions.
As described above, it is preferred that metabolism is increased
within a physiological acceptable range of the user. However, since
there is a limitation in the load to be applied to the user having
knee pain, which is caused by the flexion and extension of the knee
joint, it is needed to operate the leg training equipment so as to
avoid the occurrence of knee pain. The leg training equipment of
this embodiment is characterized by providing the oscillating
(inclination) motion to the seat member 2, on which the user's hip
is placed, thereby applying at least a part of the user's own
weight as the load to the user's leg. In this case, the
instantaneous value of the load depends on the inclination angle.
In addition, there is a correlation between muscle metabolism or
sugar metabolism and an accumulated amount of the load
(hereinafter, called as load amount). Therefore, the load amount
per unit time depends on oscillating (inclination) speed of the
seat member 2. In addition, when the user's own weight is applied
to the leg, it is assumed that the knee pain easily happens as the
knee joint is bent by a larger angle from the extension position.
Therefore, it is also needed to consider the angle of the knee
joint. In the following explanation, the angle of the knee joint
relative to the extension position is defined as "knee angle". The
knee angle can be calculated by subtracting the bending angle
.theta. of the knee joint from 180 degrees. That is, a sum of the
bending angle and the knee angle is equal to 180 degrees.
In this embodiment, the following four measurements were performed
with regard to muscle metabolism (or sugar metabolism). In
addition, the following five measurements were performed with
regard to knee pain. Conditions of operating the leg training
equipment were determined according to evaluation results of the
measurements. The seat member 2 is moved in a reciprocating manner
between a position where the seat member 2 is in a substantially
upright posture against the base 1 and a position where the seat
member is in an inclined posture thereto. Reciprocating number
(unit: Hz) described below is defined as the number of
reciprocating motions repeated per one second, wherein one
reciprocating motion is provided by a movement of the seat member
from the upright posture toward the inclined posture, and a return
movement of the seat member from the inclined posture toward the
upright posture. Therefore, as the reciprocating number increases,
the movement speed of the seat member 2 becomes fast. "Own weight
ratio" is defined as a percentage value of a ratio of the load
applied to the footplate 3 relative to the user's own weight (body
weight). Since the load applied to the footplate 3 changes with
time, a peak value of the load applied during the one reciprocating
motion of the seat member 2 is used as a representative value. In
addition, since the representative value fluctuates every
reciprocating motion, an average value of the representative values
obtained for 1 minute is used.
Measurement conditions for evaluating muscle metabolism or sugar
metabolism are shown in Table 1, and measurement conditions for
evaluating the knee pain are shown in Table 2. In Table 1, the
measurements 1 to 3 were performed to evaluate the muscle
metabolism, and the measurement 4 was performed to evaluate the
sugar metabolism. The muscle metabolism was measured by means of
near-infrared spectroscopy, and the sugar metabolism is measured by
glucose clamp test. For the evaluations of muscle metabolism and
sugar metabolism, results are compared with the case of using a leg
training device (hereinafter, called as conventional device) having
the capability of providing a horse-riding motion to the user on a
horseback seat.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 (Reciprocating Number, Knee Angle, Own
Subjects Weight Ratio) Measurement 1 3 Healthy (1, 20, 20), (1, 20,
40), (1, 40, 20), Subjects (1, 40, 40), (0.3, 20, 20), (0.3, 20,
40), (0.3, 40, 20), (0.3, 40, 40) Measurement 2 5 Healthy (1, 40,
40) Subjects Measurement 3 3 Healthy (1, 40, 40), (1.43, 40, 40),
(1.43, 40, 60), Subjects (2, 40, 60) Measurement 4 2 Healthy (2,
40, 60) Subjects
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 (Reciprocating Number, Knee Angle, Subjects
Own Weight Ratio) Others Measurement 5 7 Knee (1, 10, 20), (1, 10,
40), Sensory Pain OA (1, 20, 20), (1, 20, 40), Evaluation Subjects
(1, 40, 20), (1, 40, 40), (0.3, 10, 20), (0.3, 10, 40), (1, 20,
20), (1, 20, 40), (0.3, 40, 20), (0.3, 40, 40) Measurement 6 15
Knee (1, 40, 40) Continuously Pain OA performed for 15 Subjects
minutes Measurement 7 3 Healthy Conditions of FIG. 13 Heel Position
Subjects Electromyogram Measurement 8 5 Knee Conditions of FIG. 13
Heel Position Pain OA Sensory Subjects Evaluation Measurement 9 5
Knee (2, 40, 60) Continuously Pain OA performed for 15 Subjects
minutes
In the measurement 1 for evaluating the muscle metabolism shown in
Table 1, the load was applied to only one leg. In this case, there
was no significant difference of muscle metabolism with regard to
the reciprocating number and the knee angle. However, there was a
significant difference of muscle metabolism with regard to own
weight ratio. The maximum muscle metabolism in the measurement 1
reaches 1.5 times of the case of using the conventional device. In
addition, it is 1.2 times of the case of using the conventional
device in the measurement 2.
Results of muscle metabolism measured in the measurement 3 are
shown in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, (a) shows a case that the
reciprocating number is 1 Hz, the knee angle is 40 degrees, and the
own weight ratio is 40%, (b) shows a case that the reciprocating
number is 1.43 Hz, the knee angle is 40 degrees, and the own weight
ratio is 40%, (c) shows a case that the reciprocating number is
1.43 Hz, the knee angle is 40 degrees, and the own weight ratio is
60%, and (d) shows a case that the reciprocating number is 2 Hz,
the knee angle is 40 degrees, and the own weight ratio is 60%. As
apparent from FIG. 10, the load obtained in the case (d) is 3.1
times of the case of using the conventional device. That is, when
the reciprocating number is not greater than 1 Hz in the
measurement 1, there was no significant difference of muscle
metabolism with respect to the reciprocating number. However, when
the reciprocating number exceeds 1 Hz, a significant difference
appears in muscle metabolism.
In the measurement 4, when the oscillating motion of the seat
member 2 is started from a position where tibia is upright against
the base 1, the sugar metabolism obtained is 1.35 times of the case
of using the conventional device. In FIG. 11, (a) shows the sugar
metabolism measured at rest and exercise durations in the case of
using the conventional device, and (b) shows the sugar metabolism
measured at the rest and exercise durations in the case of using
the leg training equipment of the present invention. As apparent
from these results, when the conventional device is used, the sugar
metabolism measured at the exercise duration is 1.6 times of that
measured at the rest duration. On the other hand, when using the
equipment of the present invention, the sugar metabolism measured
at the exercise duration is 2.1 times of that measured at the rest
duration. This means that a sugar metabolism effect is increased by
1.35 times. Consequently, it is preferred that the reciprocating
number is 2 Hz, the knee angle is 40 degrees, and the own weight
ratio is 60% from the viewpoints of muscle metabolism and sugar
metabolism.
Next, the measurements for evaluating the knee pain shown in Table
2 were performed by use of a face pain scale depending on a degree
of pain. The face pain scale was prepared such that there are 20
different expressions between smiling face and crying face, and
each of the expressions has a predetermined score. When there is no
pain, the smiling face having the highest score (20 points) is
selected. On the other hand, as the pain increases, the expression
closer to the crying face (i.e., the score is smaller than 20
points) is selected.
In the case of evaluating under the conditions of the measurement
5, the knee pain is negligible, and there was no significant
difference of knee pain with regard to the knee angle. In addition,
with regard to the position of tibia at the time of starting the
oscillating motion of the seat member 2, there was no significant
difference between the position where it is in a vertical direction
to the base 1 and the position where it is inclined in the downward
and forward direction. Depending on the reciprocating number and
the own weight ratio, the degree of knee pain was slightly changed.
In each of the case (a) of using the leg training equipment of the
present invention, the case (b) of walking on a flat surface, and
the case (c) of descending steps, the degree of knee pain was
evaluated by use of the face pain scale. Results are shown in FIG.
12. The knee pain is remarkably smaller in the case (a) than the
case (c). In addition, even when compared with the case (b), it is
understood that the knee pain is small in the case (a). In FIG. 12,
a projection on a top of each of the bar graphs designates standard
deviation.
The measurement 6 was performed to investigate as to whether the
knee pain happens after the leg training equipment of the present
embodiment is continuously used for 15 minutes. In this case, the
upright posture of tibia was used as the starting position. Under
the conditions of the measurement 6, the knee pain did not happen
during and after the training.
In the measurement 7, myoelectric potentials of rectus femoris
muscle A, lateral vastus muscle B, medial vastus muscle C, adductor
muscle D, gastrocnemial muscle E, anterior tibial muscle F, biceps
femoris muscle G were measured under conditions shown in Table 3.
An average value of EMG (integrated myoelectric potential) of each
of the muscles was determined from the measurement results. FIG. 13
shows plots of the obtained average values.
In Table 3, the term "High" in the column "Heel" means that the
sole is inclined such that the heel is higher than the toe. In this
case, an inclination angle of the footplate 3 is 10 degrees.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Own Condition Reciprocating Knee Weight No.
Number Angle Ratio Heel 1 1 40 40 2 1 40 40 High 3 1 40 60 4 1 40
60 High 5 1 40 80 6 1 40 80 High 7 1 60 40 8 1 60 40 High 9 1 60 60
10 1 60 60 High 11 1 60 80 12 1 60 80 High 13 2 40 40 14 1.67 40 40
15 1.25 40 40
In FIG. 13, when the case that the heel is higher than the toe
(exercise conditions 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) is compared with the case
that the toe and the heel are at substantially the same level, it
is understood that muscle contractions of the gastrocnemial muscle
E and the biceps femoris muscle G are high on the condition that
the heel is higher than the toe, and other conditions are the
same.
On the other hand, in the measurement 8, a sensory evaluation was
performed under the conditions of the measurement 7, i.e., under
the same conditions except for changing the heel height. As a
result, when the heel is higher than the toe, a reduction in knee
pain was confirmed. It is believed that this reduction effect of
the knee pain is because the motion of the knee joint is inhibited
by an antagonistic action of muscle contractions caused by both of
quadriceps femoris muscle that is located at the front side of the
leg and biceps femoris muscle that is located at the back side of
the leg, so that a shear force acting on the knee joint is
reduced.
In the measurement 9, as in the case of the measurement 6, the
occurrence of knee pain after the leg training equipment is
continuously used for 15 minutes was checked. No knee pain happened
during and after the leg training performed under the conditions of
the measurement 9. From these measurement results, to prevent the
occurrence of the knee pain, it is preferred that the reciprocating
number is 2 Hz, the knee angle is 40 degrees, and the own weight
ratio is 60%.
According to the results obtained by the measurements shown in
Tables 1 and 2, FIG. 14 shows a relation between the conditions of
the own weight ratio and the reciprocating number and the sensory
evaluations of muscle metabolism, sugar metabolism and knee pain in
the case that the knee angle is 40 degrees. In FIG. 14, the
horizontal axis is the reciprocating number, and the vertical axis
is the own weight ratio. The symbols ".quadrature.", ".DELTA.",
".largecircle." respectively designate the sensory evaluations of
muscle metabolism, sugar metabolism and knee pain. The muscle
metabolism and the sugar metabolism are represented by
magnification of the case of using the leg training equipment
relative to the case of using the conventional device. In FIG. 14,
the upper right direction corresponds to a direction of increasing
metabolism, and the lower left direction corresponds to a high
score direction (of reducing the knee pain).
In conclusion, it is obtained from the measurements shown in Table
1 that it is preferred that the reciprocating number is 2 Hz, the
knee angle is 40 degrees, and the own weight ratio is 60% to
achieve desired muscle metabolism and sugar metabolism. In
addition, it is understood that the keep pain does not happen after
the leg training is continuously performed for 15 minutes under the
above conditions. Therefore, it can be said that the above
conditions are preferable as the exercise conditions. The above
conditions should be regarded as upper limit values. When it is
needed to decrease muscle metabolism and sugar metabolism, more
light exercise conditions will be used. In FIG. 14, a hatched
region designates a region having desired metabolism and a high
score between 15 points and 20 points in the knee-pain sensory
evaluation, in which knee pain does not happen even after the
training equipment is continuously used for 15 minutes. Therefore,
it is recommended to select the conditions from this range with the
reciprocating number of 1.4 to 2 Hz and the own weight ratio of 40
to 60%. In addition, as the exercise starting position, it is
preferred to use the position where tibia is upright against the
base 1.
By the way, the reciprocating number can be changed by controlling
the motion of the seat member 2. In addition, the knee angle can be
maintained constant by controlling the positional relation between
the seat member 2 and the footplate 3. On the other hand, the own
weight ratio is the load applied to the footplate 3 by the user. As
the movement speed of the seat member 2 increases, greater
acceleration occurs at the time of a change in the movement
direction. That is, a larger load is applied to the footplate. In
addition, as the inclination angle of the seat member 2 increases,
a ratio of the load received by the seat member 2 relative to the
user's own weight becomes small. Consequently, the load received by
the footplate 3 increases. Thus, the own weight ratio has both of
the reciprocating number and the inclination angle as parameters.
Since the user's body weight is in a range of several ten kg, it is
presumed that there is a linear relation between the own weight
ratio and the reciprocating number and the inclination angle in
such a narrow range. As shown by the following equation, an
estimated value of the load is obtained by assigning required
weights (a, b) respectively to the reciprocating number and the
inclination angle, and then determining a linear sum of them. The
weights are determined such that this estimated value corresponds
to the own weight ratio. In the equation, the inclination angle
means the maximum inclination angle.
.times..times..times..times..times..times..times..function..times..times.-
.function..times..times. ##EQU00001##
FIG. 15 shows actual measurement results of the own weight ratio
under different conditions of the reciprocating number and the
inclination angle. That is, with respect to eight adult persons who
have not experience in using the equipment of the present
invention, the measurement was performed under conditions that the
knee angle is kept at 40 degrees, and the load applied to the right
leg is continuously recorded for 1 minute. In FIG. 15, the
relations of (reciprocating number, inclination angle, own weight
ratio) are respectively (1.4 Hz, 3 degrees, 38.6%), (1.4 Hz, 5
degrees, 52.2%), (2 Hz, 3 degrees, 41.1%), (2 Hz, 5 degrees,
58.8%). As a result of multiple linear regression analysis
performed by use of these values and the above regression
expression, the weights (a, b) are 8.9 and 8.1, respectively. That
is, the own weight ratio can be determined by the following
equation according to the reciprocating number and the (maximum)
inclination angle.
.times..times..times..times..times..times..function.
.times..times..function. .times..times..function. ##EQU00002##
In the case of determining the own weight ratio by the above
equation, the inclination angle of the seat member 2 in the hatched
region in FIG. 14 is within a range of 2.7 to 5.7. Therefore, it is
desired to set the inclination angle within the range of 3 to 5
degrees. That is, when the knee angle is set at 40 degrees, the
reciprocating number of the seat member 2 is in a range of 1.4 to 2
Hz, and the inclination angle of the seat member 2 is in the range
of 3 to 5 degrees, it is possible to perform the leg training for
obtaining desired metabolism without causing the knee pain. In the
above case, the knee angle is kept at 40 degrees to obtain a sense
of stability in a state that the user's hip is placed on the seat
member 2. However, since there is no significant difference with
respect to metabolism and knee pain, the knee angle may be smaller
than 40 degrees.
From the above results, the present invention can provide a leg
training method using the leg training equipment, which has the
seat member for supporting the user in the sitting posture and the
footplate on which the user's foot are placed, and limits the
direction of the relative positional displacement between the foot
position and the position of center of gravity of the user during
the oscillating (inclination) motion of the seat member in
substantially a direction of flexion and extension of knee joint.
This leg training is characterized by performing under the
conditions that the knee angle is kept at 40 degrees, the
reciprocating number of the oscillating motion of the seat member 2
is in the range of 1.4 to 2 Hz, and the inclination angle of the
seat member 2 is in the range of 3 to 5 degrees. In addition, this
leg training can be realized when the controller 10 controls the
motions of the seat member 2 and the footplates 3 such that the
reciprocating oscillating motion of the seat member 2 is provided
between the position where the seat member is in an upright posture
against the base 1 and the position where the seat member is in an
inclined posture to the upright posture by an angle of not larger
than 5 degrees, the knee angle (angle of the knee joint against the
extension position) is kept in a range of not larger than 40
degrees, and the reciprocating number per one second of the
oscillating motions of the seat member 2 is not larger than 2.
In the present invention, appropriate led training conditions can
be determined, as described above. However, due to individual
differences, it is preferred that the equipment has an input unit
(not shown) such as keyboard or touch panel for inputting a target
value of the load and the reciprocating number into the controller
10. As the target value of the load, the own weight ratio can be
used, which is preferably adjustable in a range of 40 to 60% from
the above-described reasons. Similarly, the reciprocating number is
preferably adjustable in a range of 1.4 to 2 Hz. When the target
value of the load and the reciprocating number are input from the
input unit, the inclination angle is determined by substituting
those input values in the above equation. By controlling the seat
member 2 on the condition that the obtained inclination angle is
the maximum inclination angle of the seat member 2, it is possible
to match the load applied to the user's leg with the target
value.
In addition, since the recommended reciprocating number of the seat
member 2 is in the range of 1.4 to 2 Hz, and the desired target
value is in the range of 40 to 60% of the own weight ratio, the
input unit is preferably formed such that only the data input from
these ranges is permitted. In addition, it is preferred that when
the data other than the above ranges is input, the input unit gives
an alert or refuses the input. Alternatively, the input unit may
have a function of automatically correcting wrong data input from
out of the above ranges according to the appropriate ranges.
As a modification of the present embodiment, it is also preferred
to use sensors for detecting the foot position and the toe
direction in place of determining them by the footplate, and
determine the oscillating direction of the seat member 2 by the
controller 10. As the sensor, for example, it is possible to use a
weight sensor for detecting plural positions of the sole, or a
combination of a TV camera for taking an image of the user's foot
and an image processor. In addition, when the movable range of the
seat member 2 is limited by the controller 10, a data input unit
for inputting the user's data such as leg length is needed in the
controller 10. However, in place of forming the data input unit,
the movable range of the seat member 2 may be limited by use of a
limit switch or a mechanical stopper means.
In the above described case, the seat member 2 is pivotally coupled
at its bottom end to the base 1 to provide the oscillating motion
of the seat member. Alternatively, the load applied to the leg by
the user's own weight can be changed without the oscillating motion
of the seat member 2. For example, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B,
it is preferred to use a coupling mechanism for providing a
parallel movement of the seat member 2 relative to the base 1,
while maintaining an upright posture of the seat member. That is,
this coupling mechanism has a guide rail 46 in the top surface of
the base 1, along which the bottom end of the seat member can be
moved. In this case, the foot position and the toe direction of the
user are determined by the footplate, as in the case of the first
embodiment. The guide rail 46 is formed on a line connecting
between a required position on the base 1 and the footplate 3. When
the seat member 2 is moved along the guide rail 46, a distance
between the toe and the hip of the user M changes to cause the
flexion and extension of the knee joint. That is, the load applied
to the leg by the user's own weight can be controlled according to
the distance change between the seat member 2 and the footplate 3.
In this case, the movable direction of the seat member 2 is limited
to the direction of flexion and extension of the knee joint by the
guide rail 46. This modification is on the assumption that the user
M actively performs the movement of the seat member 2. However, a
drive unit for moving the seat member 2 may be used. In the case of
FIG. 16A, the load is applied to only one leg. If necessary, guide
rails may be formed in two directions to apply the load to the both
legs. The other components and functions are the same as the above
embodiment. To obtain the relative positional displacement between
the foot position and the position of center of gravity, it is
enough to move any one of the seat member 2 and the footplate 3.
For example, the footplate 3 may be slidable relative to the seat
member 2.
In addition, the leg training equipment of this embodiment
preferably has a load sensor for detecting the load applied to the
user's leg (mainly the femoral region). In this case, the load
sensor is disposed at a position underneath the saddle 22 and/or
the left and right footplates 3. In other words, it is preferred
that at least one of the seat member 2 and the footplates 3 as the
support portion has the load sensor. In particular, it is preferred
that the load sensor is disposed at each of the footplates 3. In
this case, an increase in load detected by the load sensor can be
regarded as the load applied to the leg. Of course, when the load
is detected by the load sensor disposed at the saddle 22, a
decrease in the load detected can be used as a guide of the load
applied to the leg.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, it is preferred that the load
detected by the load sensor 11 is displayed in a real-time manner
on a display 13 through a data processing unit 12. In this case,
the data processing unit 12 and the display 13 function as a
load-change informing unit. Therefore, the load applied to the
user's leg is displayed in the real-time manner on the display 13.
For example, the information can be provided on the display 13 by
means of a numeral value corresponding to the load, a line graph
showing a change in load with respect to time, a bar chart having
different bar lengths depending on the load, or a meter indication
that an angular position of an indicator in a semicircular display
region changes depending on the load applied. Since the load
changes with time, it is preferred to use the bar chart or the
meter indication. In these cases, it is easily to innovate a mark
for indicating a target range, as described later. The display 13
is used as the means for visually indicating the load change to the
user. If necessary, the load change may be acoustically informed to
the user by means of an audible sound having a frequency that is
changed in response to the load. In the case of using the visual
display function or the sound effect, the user can easily check as
to whether the load applied to the user is appropriate or not. When
there is excess and deficiency of the load, the magnitude of the
load can be appropriately changed by adjusting the equipment or
allowing the user to displace the body position.
By the way, there is a correlation between muscle metabolism and
the load applied to the leg. However, in a practical sense, even
when the magnitude of the load is constant, a difference in muscle
metabolism often occurs due to the user's parameters such as body
weight, age, gender, presence or absence of disease, kind of
disease and clinical records (profile). In particular, since there
are great differences between individuals with respect to the body
weight, it has a strong effect on muscle metabolism. From the
inventor's investigation about a relation between the load applied
to one leg of the user and the muscle metabolism of a total of
quadriceps femoris muscle and adductor muscle, the following
results are obtained.
There is a characteristic that as the metabolism increases, a
reduction ratio of oxy-hemoglobin becomes larger. In accordance
with the characteristic, a hemoglobin measurement was performed to
evaluate muscle metabolism by means of near-infrared spectroscopy.
As shown in FIG. 18, on the condition that a ratio of the load
applied to one leg (i.e., the load detected by the load sensor 11)
relative to the user's own weight (i.e., body weight) is 20% or
40%, the muscle metabolism was evaluated. The muscle metabolism in
FIG. 18 is represented by a ratio relative to the muscle metabolism
at rest. Results show that there is a significant difference in the
muscle metabolism between the case of 20% and the case of 40%. In
FIG. 18, a thick bar shows the muscle metabolism, and a thin bar
extending from the top end of the thick bar shows fluctuations of
data. Even when the fluctuations are taken into consideration,
there is the significant difference therebetween. From these
measurement results, when the ratio of the load applied to the leg
relative to the body weight is used in place of the body weight
having great differences between individuals, it can be associated
with the muscle metabolism irrespective of the differences in body
weight of the users.
Therefore, it is preferred that the data processing unit 12
calculates a percentage of the load detected by the load sensor 11
relative to the body weight input from the input unit 14, and
indicates the percentage as the target value on the display 13. In
addition, parameters other than the body weight may be input from
the input unit 14. Thus, when an appropriate range of the exercise
load is determined in consideration of age and gender as well as
body weight, and provided on the display 13, the user can continue
the exercise such that the load (the value obtained by dividing the
load applied to the leg by the body weight) is kept in the
appropriate range. That is, since the appropriate range of the load
is recognized by the user, it is possible to avoid excess and
deficiency of the load. It is preferred that a database is
previously prepared with respect to the correspondence between the
parameters of the user and the appropriate range of the load. In
this case, when the user's parameters are input from the input unit
14, a corresponding appropriate range of the load can be
automatically read out from the database. In addition, since the
corresponding appropriate range of the load is indicated on the
display 13 in response to the input of the user's parameters, it
can be easily compared with the load detected by load sensor
11.
It is also preferred that the load applied to the leg, which is
detected by the load sensor 11, and the input parameter of the user
are sent to a feedback processing unit 15. The feedback processing
unit 15 has a function of providing orders for operations of the
motors 6 to 9 to the controller 10 such that the load applied to
the leg is kept within a predetermined target range. That is, the
load applied to the user's leg is controlled in a feedback manner.
The target range can be appropriately determined in accordance with
the user's parameters input from the input unit 14. When using the
feedback processing unit 15, it is preferred that a database is
previously prepared with respect to the correspondence between the
parameters of the user and the target range of the load, as in the
case of the data processing unit 12. In this case, when a parameter
of the user is input from the input unit 14, an appropriate target
range of the load can be extracted from the database. Thus, since
the target range is automatically determined in accordance with the
data peculiar to the user such as body weight, age, gender,
presence or absence of disease, disease name and clinical records,
the appropriate load can be applied to the individual user. With
respect to the target load, it is desired to use the percentage of
the load relative to the user's body weight. Thereby, the target
range can be adequately determined irrespective of the difference
between individuals.
In the case of forming the feedback processing unit 15, it is
preferred that the own weight ratio is calculated by use of an
output of a weight sensor (not shown) for detecting the load
applied to the footplate 3, and the feedback processing unit 15
monitors the output of the weight sensor such that the own weight
ratio is kept within a predetermined target range (i.e., 40 to
60%). When the own weight ratio obtained from the output of the
weight sensor is out of the target range, the maximum inclination
angle of the seat member 2 is changed in a feedback control manner
to place the load within the target range. When the own weight
ratio obtained from the output of the weight sensor is still not
within the target range even though the maximum inclination angle
is adjusted in an adjustable range (preferably, 3 to 5 degrees),
the reciprocating cycle is controlled. In the leg training
equipment of this embodiment, the saddle 22 preferably has a
backrest. By use of the backrest, it is possible to prevent that
the user is inclined in the backward direction, and a displacement
range of the center of gravity of the user is reduced.
As a further modification of the leg training equipment of this
embodiment, it is preferred that the top surface of the footplate 3
is formed by a downward inclination extending in the forward
direction (e.g., inclined against the base by about 10 degrees), as
shown in FIG. 19. In this case, the user can perform the leg
training in a state that the heel is higher than the toe. This is
effective to reduce the occurrence of a shear stress at knee joint.
In place of using the footplate 3 having the inclined top surface,
a tilting member 31 may be detachably mounted on the footplate 3 to
adjust the inclination angle or the inclination direction. The
numeral 32 designates a toe clip portion formed at a forward end of
the tilting member 31 as a displacement preventing member. When the
load is focused on the toe by the inclination of the seat member 2,
the displacement of the foot can be prevented. When the
displacement of the foot is prevented only at the toe, there is a
fear that a large load is applied to the toe. Therefore, it is
preferred to form a nonslip portion 33 for preventing slippage of
the sole on the tilting member 31 as an additional displacement
preventing member. Specifically, a raising portion may be formed on
the top surface of the tilting member 31. Alternately, grooves or
projections may be formed as the nonslip portion 33 to increase
friction coefficient. In addition, the nonslip portion is
preferably made of a material having a large friction coefficient
such as rubber. When the foot position is fixed by the formation of
the nonslip portion, it is easy to match the oscillating direction
of the seat member 2 with the direction of flexion and expansion of
knee joint. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence
of knee pain. It is not necessarily needed to incline the entire
sole. For example, the toe portion may be horizontally supported
without using the tilting member.
By the way, when the user has a deformed knee joint such as
"knock-kneed" or "bowlegged", knee pain often happens at the time
of bending the knee joint. To match the equipment with the user
having knock-kneed or bowlegged tendencies, it is preferred that
the top surfaces of the tilting members 31 on the left and right
footplates 3 are inclined to be close to each other or spaced from
each other in the left and right direction. Thereby, it is possible
to reduce the knee pain caused when the user that is knock-kneed or
bowlegged bends the knee joint. In addition, the tilting member 31
may be rotatably mounted to the footplate.
As another modification of this embodiment, it is preferred that
the leg training equipment has a measurement unit for measuring a
physiological measurement value concerning metabolism, an
evaluation unit for determining the metabolism from the
physiological measurement value measured by the measurement unit,
and a motion control unit for controlling the equipment such that a
motion pattern is changed every predetermined time period, and
storing the metabolism determined by the evaluation unit together
with the corresponding motion pattern. In this case, it is
preferred that the evaluation unit assigns weights to the
physiological measurement value by use of a weighting factor, which
is a volume of muscles concerning the exercise with the leg
training equipment or a volume of red muscles concerning the
exercise, thereby obtaining a weighted physiological measurement
value as the metabolism.
This modification is characterized by actually measuring the
physiological measurement value concerning metabolism, while
changing the motion pattern of the leg training equipment,
extracting the motion pattern with large metabolism from the
measurement results, and operating the leg training equipment
according to the extracted motion pattern. The following is an
explanation of the technique of extracting the motion pattern with
large metabolism by use of a motion determining device shown in
FIG. 20. This device has a motion control unit 60 for respectively
controlling the motors (6, 7, 8, 9) of the leg training equipment.
As in the case of the controller 10, a main component of the motion
control unit 60 is a microcomputer. In the motion control unit 60,
the motion pattern is not provided from a memory. That is, various
kinds of motion patterns are generated by the motion control unit
60. The motion control unit 60 also has a function of associating
the generated motion pattern with time information, and then
storing. The motion pattern may be selected from a plurality of
predetermined motion patterns. Alternatively, the motion pattern
may be randomly generated in an acceptable range of the exercise
provided by the leg training equipment.
On the other hand, as the physiological measurement value
concerning metabolism, any one of the muscle metabolism obtained by
near-infrared spectroscopy and a degree of muscle contraction
caused by myoelectric activity is used. The following is an
explanation in the case of using the near-infrared spectroscopy.
That is, as shown in FIG. 20, a near-infrared spectrometer 61 is
used as the measurement unit. Near-infrared projecting and
receiving probes are formed to be detachable to the femoral region.
As already known, in the measurement of muscle metabolism by
near-infrared spectroscopy, a change in oxygen amount (muscle
metabolism) in blood is determined by use of a difference in
absorption of near-infrared light between oxy-hemoglobin and
deoxy-hemoglobin. Since oxygen is needed to metabolize the sugar,
the muscle metabolism becomes a surrogate parameter of the sugar
metabolism.
The muscle metabolism is input as the physiological measurement
value in the evaluation unit 62 to determine a ratio relative to
the muscle metabolism measured at rest. Since an oxygen consumption
of a part of the muscles is measured by the near-infrared
spectroscopy, the evaluation unit assigns weights to the muscle
metabolism determined by the near-infrared spectroscopy by use of
the volume of the muscles as the weighting factor, thereby
estimating the metabolism of all of the muscles concerning the
exercise. Since there is a correlation between the muscle
metabolism and the volume of the muscles, it is needed to perform
the weighting in consideration of the volume of the muscles to
accurately estimate the muscle metabolism of all of the muscles
concerning the exercise.
The volume of the muscles used as the weighting factor means a
total volume of the muscles concerning the exercise provided by the
leg training equipment. To actually measure the volume of the
muscles, a large-scale device such as MRI is needed. Due to
reductions in time and cost, data reported in documents may be
used. For example, the volumes of femoral extensor muscles and
great adductor muscles can be respectively regarded as 500 ml and
250 ml. On the assumption that the muscle metabolism per unit
volume is constant, the contraction of the femoral extensor muscles
is two times larger in metabolism than the contraction of the great
adductor muscles. That is, to increase the metabolism, it is
preferred to select the motion pattern for effectively causing the
contraction of the femoral extensor muscles. Evaluation results of
two kinds of motion patterns are shown in Tables 4 and 5.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Ratio relative to Red muscle Volume X "at
rest" (volume) Ratio Rectus Femoris 2.0 200 400.0 Muscle Medial
Vastus 2.5 130 325.0 Muscle Lateral Vastus 3.6 150 540.0 Muscle
Adductor Muscle 1.5 200 300.0 Total Metabolic Degree 1565.0
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Ratio relative to Red muscle Volume X "at
rest" (volume) Ratio Rectus Femoris 1.8 200 360.0 Muscle Medial
Vastus 2.0 130 260.0 Muscle Lateral Vastus 3.0 150 450.0 Muscle
Adductor Muscle 3.2 200 640.0 Total Metabolic Degree 1710.0
As understood from the comparison between Tables 4 and 5, larger
metabolism is obtained by the motion pattern corresponding to Table
5. Therefore, it is preferred to select the motion pattern
corresponding to the Table 5 in respect of the exercise with large
sugar metabolism.
As an example, a method of determining an appropriate motion
pattern installed in a memory (not shown) of the leg training
equipment is explained below. When a tester performs an exercise by
use of the leg training equipment, which is controlled by the
motion control unit, an oxygen amount in blood is simultaneously
measured by means of near-infrared spectroscopy. At this time, the
leg training equipment is controlled such that each of different
motion patterns is performed for a required (constant) time period,
and the oxygen amount measured every required time period is
recorded with the start and finish times of the corresponding
motion pattern. The evaluation unit assigns weights to the thus
measured oxygen amount to estimate muscle metabolism of all of
muscles concerning the exercise. From the motion patterns
associated with the obtained muscle metabolisms, the motion pattern
having the maximum muscle metabolism is selected. Consequently, the
thus obtained motion pattern is installed in the memory, and
actually used in the controller 10 to control the leg training
equipment.
Thus, the correspondence between the motion pattern and the
metabolism is investigated, and the motion pattern of the leg
training equipment is determined such that the metabolism becomes
an appropriate value, which is defined as a maximum value of
metabolism obtained under the condition that an energy amount given
to the human body by the motion pattern is constant. For example,
power consumption of the leg training equipment can be used as an
alternative value of the energy amount. By operating the leg
training equipment according to the motion pattern provided by the
motion determining device described above, it is possible to
extract an exercise for more effectively enhancing the metabolism
from a large number of exercises, and provide the exercise to the
user.
In the case of determining a physiological measurement value from
myoelectric activity, an electromyography is connected to the
motion control unit in place of the near-infrared spectrometer. As
the physiological measurement value, an integrated electromyography
value measured for a required time period, or a ratio relative to
the integrated electromyography value measured for the required
time period at the maximum muscle contraction can be used. In
addition, the muscle concerning sugar metabolism is mainly red
muscles. Therefore, the weights are preferably assigned according
to the volume of red muscles to more accurately perform the
evaluation of sugar metabolism of the exercise provided by the leg
training equipment.
In the motion control unit, an upper limit value of an
instantaneous value of the exercise load can be set, and the motion
pattern is automatically generated on the condition that the
instantaneous value of the exercise load is smaller than the upper
limit value. At this time, appropriate fluctuations are provided to
the operation of each motor, and the motion pattern is changed in a
real-time manner so as to be close to an optimum solution (i.e.,
such that the muscle metabolism becomes maximum within the
acceptable range of the motion pattern) by using the technique of
multivariate analysis or neurocomputer. According to such a control
method, the motion pattern having substantially the maximum muscle
metabolism can be determined in the range that is not larger than
the upper limit value of the instantaneous value of the exercise
load. In the above case, the motion pattern is changed in a
direction of increasing the metabolism. Alternatively, it is
preferred that an appropriate value of metabolism is previously set
by a value other than the maximum value, and the motion pattern is
converged such that the metabolism becomes close to the appropriate
value.
Second Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 21, this embodiment is directed to a leg training
equipment for allowing the user to voluntarily perform a leg
training without using any drive unit. That is, in the first
embodiment, the motors 6 to 9 are used as the drive unit, so that
the user passively receives the leg training without voluntarily
performing exercises. In this embodiment, a seat member 2 and a
footplate 3 are respectively coupled to a base 1 through coupling
mechanisms 4, 5 without using the drive unit. The coupling
mechanism 5 for coupling the footplate 3 to the base 1 provides an
up and down movement of the footplate by use of a pantograph 51, as
in the case of the first embodiment. As to the seat member 2, a
post 21 is retractable to adjust the position of a saddle 22 in a
height direction, and the saddle 22 connected to the post 21 can be
inclined in a forward and backward direction about an (one) axis
extending in a left and right direction. As in the case of the
first embodiment, the saddle 22 can be inclined by use of a weight
25 or a ball joint 26. The pantograph 51 of the coupling mechanism
5 is used to interlock a positional change of the footplate in the
height direction with an angular change of the seat member 2. The
seat member 2 and the footplate 3 are mechanically interlocked by
use of an appropriate combination of links and cams of the coupling
mechanisms 4, 5. That is, the coupling mechanisms are formed such
that the height position of the footplate 3 changes depending on a
change in inclination angle of the seat member 2 against to the
base 1.
In the case of using the training equipment of this embodiment, the
user needs to positively (actively) move its own body. That is,
when the user sitting on the saddle 22 and placing the foot on the
footplate 3 applies a load to the leg such that the user's hip
moves in the forward direction, the seat member 2 is inclined to
the base 1, and simultaneously the footplate moves downward, so
that the load applied to the leg is increased by the user's own
weight without substantially causing a change in bending angle of
the knee joint. The coupling mechanisms 4, 5 may have springs for
recovering the original positions. Alternatively, the original
positions may be recovered by leg strength of the user. The
inclination direction of the seat member 2 is limited in two planes
including the saddle 22 and the respective footplate 3 by the
coupling mechanism 4. This means that the inclination direction of
the seat member 2 (the direction of the relative positional
displacement between the foot position and the position of center
of gravity of the user) is limited in a direction of flexion and
extension of knee joint.
An example of the coupling mechanism 4 used in this embodiment is
shown in FIG. 22. This coupling mechanism 4 has a guide member 41
of a hemispherical shape. The bottom end of the post 21 of the seat
member 2 is slidably joined in a rail groove 42 formed in the guide
member 41. The numeral 43 designates a return spring for providing
a spring bias in a direction of returning the seat member 2 to a
top position of the guide member 41. In this case, when the bottom
end of the seat member 2 moves along the rail groove 42, the
inclination angle of the seat member 2 increases. At this time, the
top end of the seat member 2 travels along a circular path having a
center of the hemispherical guide member 41. Since a larger return
force is provided by the return spring 43 as the seat member 2 is
inclined, the user can return the seat member 2 to the original
position by a slight force. In addition, the movement direction of
the seat member 2 is limited by the rail groove 42. Therefore, it
is possible to apply the load to the leg without causing torsion of
the knee joint by forming the rail groove 42 in a place including
the direction of flexion and extension of knee joint. In FIG. 22,
the rail groove 42 is formed in the single plane. When the guide
member 41 is rotatably supported by the base 1, and the rotational
position of the guide member 41 is adjusted such that the
inclination direction of the seat member 2 is in agreement with the
direction of the footplate 3, the user can apply the load to a
desired one of the legs. In addition, when the guide member 41 is
fixed at a stationary position, the rail grove 42 may be formed in
each of two planes corresponding to the both footplates 3.
As a modification of the leg training equipment of this embodiment,
the footplates 3 may be omitted. That is, as shown in FIGS. 23A and
23B, a coupling mechanism 4 is formed such that the seat member 2
can be inclined to the base 1, and the footplates 3 are omitted.
Therefore, the user M sits on the saddle 22, and places the feet on
the base 1 or a floor on which the base 1 is placed. When using the
coupling mechanism 4 of FIG. 22, the oscillating direction of the
seat member 2 can be limited. Due to the absence of the footplates
3, there is no guide for matching the foot position and the toe
direction with the oscillating direction of the seat member 2. In
this embodiment, the coupling mechanism 4 has a direction
indicating plate 44 rotatably supported e to the base 1 in a plane
parallel to the top surface of the base. On the direction
indicating plate 44, an arrow mark 45 is provided. The mark 45 is
in the plane including the rail groove 42 of the coupling mechanism
4 of FIG. 22. Therefore, when the foot is placed on an extension of
the mark 45, it becomes easy for the user to match the oscillating
direction of the seat member 2 with the direction of flexion and
extension of knee joint.
For example, when the seat member 2 is inclined from the upright
posture shown in FIG. 23A toward an inclined posture shown in FIG.
23B, the inclination angle of the seat member 2 is limited by the
rail groove 42, so that the direction of flexion and extension of
knee joint is included in the oscillating plane of the seat member
2. This figure shows that the oscillating motion of the seat member
is provided in only one direction. Alternatively, the oscillating
motion of the seat member 2 may be provided in two directions such
that the load can be alternately applied to each of the legs. In
addition, when using the coupling mechanism 4 of FIG. 22, the guide
member 41 can be used as the base 1. In this case, it is preferred
to dispose the direction indicating plate 44 at a periphery of the
guide member 41, as described above.
Third Embodiment
In a leg training equipment 1 of this embodiment, a footplate 3 can
be moved in only an up and down direction, and a distance between a
bottom end portion of a seat member 2 and the footplate 3 is kept
constant. That is, as shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, by forming guide
apertures 3a in four corners of a plate-like footplate 3, and
inserting four guide pins 3b projecting on a base 1 into the guide
apertures, the footplate can be moved in only the up and down
direction. In this case, when a link body 70 is fixed to the seat
member 2 and the footplate 3, the seat member can not be inclined
against the base 1. Therefore, the link body 70 has hinges such as
ball bearings at its opposite ends, which are engaged with the seat
member 2 and the footplate 3, so that both of an angle between the
seat member 2 and the link body 70 and an angle between the
footplate 3 and the link body 70 become changeable. Thus, the
footplate 3 can be moved in the up and down direction according to
the oscillating motion of the seat member 2.
The motion obtained by the components shown in FIG. 24A can be also
obtained by use of components shown in FIG. 25. That is, the
footplate 3 is mounted on the base 1 through a pantograph 3c that
is retractable in the up and down direction. In addition, as shown
in FIG. 26, it is preferred that a link 3d is pivotally supported
at a backward position of the user by a hinge 3e, and the footplate
3 is formed at a forward end of the link. In this case, the lower
end of the link body 70 is coupled to a forward portion of the link
3d through a hinge 72. When the link 3d is a rigid body, and has a
sufficient length such that the footplate 3 can be moved
substantially in the up and down direction, the movement of the
user's foot is limited in the up and down direction, as in the case
of FIGS. 24A and 25.
In the above components of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, it
is preferred that hinges 71, 72 provided at the opposite ends of
the link body 70 are respectively disposed at a side of a hip joint
J2 and a side of a foot joint J3. That is, the hinge 71 is located
at a higher position than the saddle provided at the top end of the
seat member 2, and the hinge 72 is located at a higher position
than a top surface of the footplate 3. To prevent the occurrence of
positional displacements between the hip joint J2 and the hinge 71
and between the foot joint J3 and the hinge 72; a restraint member
such as belt may be used for the saddle and the footplate 3. In
addition, it is desired that the movement direction of the
footplate 3 is limited in the up and down direction to prevent the
occurrence the positional displacements described above. The other
components and their functions are the same as the first
embodiment.
As a further modification of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28,
it is preferred to use a wire 75 in place of the link body 70, and
form a movement restricting portion for limiting the movement of
the footplate 3 in the up and down direction. The wire 75 is used
to connect a top end portion of the seat member 2 with a required
position of the footplate 3 through a plurality of pulleys 76 to
78. Those pulleys are disposed such that the wire extends from the
backside of the seat member 2 to the bottom side of the footplate
3. In the figure, the wire 75 extending backward from the top end
portion of the seat member 2 is placed on the pulley 76 to change
the course of the wire in the downward direction, and then placed
on the pulley 77 to change the course of the wire in the forward
direction. Finally, the wire 75 is placed on the pullet 78 to
change the course of the wire in the upward direction, and then
connected to the footplate 3. In this case, when the seat member 2
is inclined from an upright posture against the base 1 toward a
forward left direction or a forward right direction, the wire
between the seat member 2 and the pulley 76 vibrates in the left
and right direction. Therefore, the pulley 76 is preferably
disposed such that the vibration of the wire is permissible. The
pulleys 76, 77 may be replaced by a single pulley.
In the above case, when the seat member 2 is inclined toward the
left side of the drawing, the footplate 3 is moved downward by a
tensile force of the wire 75. On the other hand, when the seat
member 2 is returned from the inclined posture to the upright
posture, an upward movement of the footplate 3 can not be obtained
by the above-described components. In such a case, an additional
component for moving the footplate 3 upward is needed. For example,
it is preferred that an elastic member is disposed between the
footplate 3 and the base 1 to provide a spring force against the
load applied downward to the footplate 3. The other components and
their functions are the same as the first embodiment.
As another modification of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29, a
return spring 79 is disposed as the elastic member between the base
1 and the footplate 3. In this case, when the load is applied
downward to the footplate 3, the return spring 79 provides a spring
force against the load to the footplate 3. Therefore, when the seat
member 2 is returned from the inclined posture to the upright
posture, the spring force of the return spring 79 effectively acts
on the seat member 2 through the link body 70. In place of the
return spring 79, another elastic member such as urethane foam may
be used.
Fourth Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, a leg training equipment of this
embodiment is characterized by using a seat 28 hung down from a
base 1 through an arm 27 that is the support portion for supporting
the user. By appropriately designing a coupling mechanism (not
shown) between the base 1 and the arm 27, the seat 28 corresponding
to the saddle can be moved, as in the case of the above-described
embodiments. In the drawings, the arm 27 is pivotally supported at
its top end by the base 1, so that the seat 28 can be moved in a
pendulum manner. In this case, a movement direction of the seat 28
is limited in a direction of flexion and extension of knee joint of
the user. Therefore, on the condition that the foot position and
the toe direction of the user M are determined by use of a
footplate 3, a direction of the relative positional displacement
between the foot position and the position of center of gravity of
the user M is limited to the direction of flexion and extension of
knee joint.
As a modification of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 31, the
equipment has a body holding unit 80 for holding the user's body in
a hanging manner and a footplate 3 on which the user's foot is
placed. The body holding unit 80 is movably coupled to a forward
tilted base (top panel) 1 through a coupling mechanism 82. The body
holding unit 80 has a waist holding member 83 retractable to hold
the user's waist at its one end, and a wire 84 having a required
length, which is connected at its one end with an end of the waist
holding member 83 and fixed at the opposite end to the top plate 1.
The other one end of the waist holding member 83 is slidably
supported along a Y-shaped guide rail 85 formed in the top plate 1
by use of a slider 86.
In this leg training equipment, when a slide movement of the user
supported by the body holding unit 80 is provided in the forward
direction of the forward tilted base 1, an amount of the wire 84
extending downward from the base 1 is reduced to move the user
upward. In this case, as a distance of the slide movement of the
user in the forward direction increases, a movement distance of the
user in the upward direction becomes large. By the way, a spring 87
is disposed such that one end of the spring is fixed to the slider
86 and the other end is fixed to a required position of the base 1.
A length of the spring increases by the forward movement of the
user. Therefore, as the user is moved in the forward direction, a
restoring force of the spring 87 works in a (backward) direction of
returning the user to the initial position. At this time, the
amount of the wire 84 extending downward from the base 1 increases
to move the user downward. By appropriately designing the path of
the guide rail 85, and suitably determining the foot position of
the user on the footplate 3, it is possible to limit the relative
positional displacement between the foot position and the position
of center of gravity of the user in the direction of flexion and
extension of knee joint.
In the above components of FIG. 31, it is assumed that the
footplate 3 is a stationary footplate. However, the footplate 3 may
be movable in at least one of the horizontal direction and the
vertical direction. In addition, an interlock unit for moving the
footplate 3 in synchronization with the motion of the body holding
unit 80 may be used. This embodiment is directed to the leg
training apparatus for allowing the user to actively perform the
leg training in a state that the user's foot is placed on the
footplate 3. However, by use of a drive unit for providing an
oscillating motion of the body holding unit 80, it is possible to
obtain the leg training apparatus for providing the leg training to
the user in a passive manner. In addition, when the footplate 3 is
movable, it is preferred to use an auxiliary drive unit for driving
the footplate in addition to the drive unit for providing the
oscillating motion of the body holding unit, and a controller for
controlling these drive units in a synchronous manner. In this
case, it is possible to provide more effective leg training to the
user.
Fifth Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 32, a leg training equipment of this embodiment is
composed of a base 100, a columnar support 110 fixed to the base, a
seat 120 for supporting a user's hip, a coupling mechanism 130
disposed between the columnar support and the seat, and a pair of
footplates 140 fixed at a forward side of the columnar support.
The coupling mechanism 130 for providing an oscillating motion of
the seat 120 has the capability of providing a reciprocating linear
movement in a forward and backward direction, reciprocating pivotal
movement (pitching) about an axis extending in a left and right
direction, and a reciprocating pivotal movement (rolling) about an
axis extending in the forward and backward direction. As shown in
FIG. 33A, the coupling mechanism is formed with a fixed plate 131
fixed to the columnar support 110, a movable plate 132 for carrying
the seat 120 thereon and disposed above the fixed plate, and two
pairs of links (133, 134) used to couple front and rear ends of the
movable plate 132 to the corresponding ends of the fixed plate 131.
The links 133, 134 are pivotally coupled to the fixed plate 131 and
the movable plate 132 about the axis extending in the left and
right direction.
A horizontal distance between the position of coupling the link 133
to the fixed plate 131 and the position of coupling the link 134 to
the fixed plate 131 is determined to be smaller than the horizontal
distance between the position of coupling the link 133 to the
movable plate 132 and the position of coupling the link 134 to the
movable plate 132. Therefore, when the seat is moved toward the
right side (rearward direction) of FIG. 33A, it takes an inclined
posture that the front end of the movable plate 132 is slightly
higher than the rear end. When the seat is in the center position
of FIG. 33A, it takes a substantially horizontal posture. In
addition, when the seat is moved toward the left side (forward
direction) of FIG. 33A, it takes an inclined posture that the front
end of the movable plate 132 is slightly lower than the rear end. A
top surface of the seat 120 is not necessarily formed to be
parallel with the movable plate 132. For example, the top surface
of the seat may be formed to have a substantially horizontal
surface when the seat is moved toward the right side (rearward
direction) of FIG. 33A. Although it is not shown in the drawing, an
output of a drive unit can be transmitted to the movable plate 132
through a power transmission mechanism such as cam and crank.
On the other hand, each of the footplates 140 has a top surface
inclined toward the forward end (toe direction) by about 10
degrees. In addition, when the footplate 140 receives the load from
the above, it can be moved in the downward direction by a distance
of about 20 to 30 mm by use of a built-in spring (not shown).
Furthermore, the left and right footplates 140 are not placed in
parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 33B, they are disposed
such that their axial lines intersect to each other by a required
angle. The intersecting angle of the footplates is determined to be
in agreement with the intersecting angle of a motion path provided
by the coupling mechanism. In this embodiment, the motion path has
substantially a figure of eight when observed from above. In
addition, the left side of FIG. 33B corresponds to the forward side
of the leg training equipment. An axial direction of the right
footplate is substantially parallel to an exercise direction during
a period that the coupling mechanism provides the motion in a
forward right direction. Similarly, an axial direction of the left
footplate is substantially parallel to the exercise direction
during a period that the coupling mechanism provides the motion in
a forward left direction.
By the way, there is a reason for that damage does not occur at the
knee joint even though the human's leg receives a large
acceleration of more than 1 G at the time of walking or running. It
is because as the load increases, muscle contraction is caused at
the circumference of the knee joint, so that the knee joint is
fixed, and the occurrence of shear force at the knee joint is
reduced. In the leg training equipment of the present invention
utilizing this mechanism, the center of gravity of the user is
displaced in the extension direction of the knee joint during a
period that the load applied to the leg increases. That is, by
matching the motion path provided by the coupling mechanism to the
extension direction of the knee joint in at least a forward
movement period (i.e., a period that the load applied to the leg
increases), it is possible to reduce the shear load applied to the
knee joint. After the maximum load is applied to the leg, it is not
always needed to match the motion path provided by the coupling
mechanism with the extension direction of the knee joint because
the muscle contraction is sufficiently caused at the circumference
of the knee joint to fix the knee joint. In addition, the coupling
mechanism 130 may limit the movement direction in only the forward
and rearward direction.
Sixth Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B, a leg training equipment of this
embodiment is mainly composed of a base 200, a columnar support 210
movably supported to the base and accommodating a drive unit
therein, a seat 220 for supporting a user's hip, a coupling
mechanism 230 for coupling between the seat and the columnar
support, a pair of footplates 240 disposed at a forward side of the
columnar support, and a link 250 extending between the seat and the
footplates.
As shown in FIGS. 35A to 35C, the drive unit is accommodated in a
gear box 201, which is placed in the columnar support 210 and
pivotally supported in a left and right direction by the base 200.
A shaft 203 is rotatably supported in the gear box 201, and a gear
A mounted on a rotational shaft of the motor 202 is engaged to a
reduction gear B mounted on the shaft 203. The rotation of the
shaft 203 provided through the reduction gear B is transmitted to
frames 206, 207, 208 through an eccentric cam 204 and a coupling
plate 205, so that the seat 220 is moved forward and backward and
up and down. On the other hand, a gear C mounted on the shaft 203
is engaged to a gear D mounted on a shaft 211, so that the
rotational speed of the shaft 203 is reduced to half, and then
transmitted to shaft 211. The rotation of the shaft 211 is
transmitted to an arm 213 through an eccentric cam 212. This arm
213 is universally joined to the base 200, so that the seat 220 can
be moved in the left and right direction, as shown by the arrows in
FIG. 35C. At each of coupling portions, a bearing is used to
achieve a wobbly free structure. In a motion path of the drive
unit, a stroke in the left and right direction is substantially a
half of the stroke in the forward and rearward direction, and the
oscillating motion in the left and right direction is obtained at
the reduction gear ratio of 1/2. By appropriately changing phase
differences of the eccentric cams 204, 212, the motion path of the
seat obtained from above may be configured in a V shape, W shape or
a figure of horizontal eight.
On the other hand, the left and right links 250 are coupled to an
attachment member 241 fixed to the frame 207 through joints 242.
Each of the footplates 240 is movably supported in the up and down
direction by use of the link 250, a joint 243 and a fulcrum 244. In
this case, the motion path of the footplate is formed such that
when the oscillating motion of the seat is provided in a forward,
right and downward direction, the right footplate 240 is
subserviently moved in the downward direction, and when the
oscillating motion of the seat is provided in the forward, left and
downward direction, the left footplate 240 is subserviently moved
in the downward direction. Thereby, the relative positional
displacement between the foot position and the position of center
of gravity of the user can be limited in the direction flexion and
extension of knee joint. When it is needed to simultaneously move
both of the left and right footplates in the downward direction,
the positions of the left and right joints 242 are displaced toward
the centerline between left and right. In addition, it is preferred
that each of the footplates are movably supported by use of a
spring member, and spring characteristics of the spring member are
determined such that a distance of the downward movement of the
footplate is obtained to be equal to the distance of the downward
movement of the seat 220 by the load corresponding to a
substantially half of the user's weight.
As shown in FIG. 34B, the seat 220 has a projection 221 for
receiving the user's hip and waist and recesses 222 formed at its
forward left and right portions, into which the femoral regions of
the user in the sitting posture are fitted. Thereby, even when the
oscillating motion of the drive unit is provided in the forward,
downward, left and right directions, the user's hip and waist can
be pushed forward by the projection 221 without slippage, and also
the user can hold on the footplate, so that the load can be
effectively applied to the femoral region. As shown in FIGS. 36A
and 36B, a height of the seat is adjustable depending on body
height or sitting height of the user. Since a horizontal distance
between the foot position on the footplate and the hip position on
the seat is increased (D1.fwdarw.D2) as the seat position is
higher, it is possible to provide an appropriate leg training to
the users having different body heights.
The exercise provided by the above leg training equipment is not
for the purpose of simply shaking the user. When the user is
shaken, it tries to change the head position for balance or insure
itself against shaking, thereby allowing the user to performs an
exercise with muscle tension. This exercise applies the load to the
muscles of the hip and the femoral region of the user, so that
muscle strength of both of the body and the legs or metabolism
(blood flow, lymph flow) can be improved. In addition, since the
relative positional displacement between the foot position and the
position of center of gravity of the user is limited in the
direction of flexion and extension of knee joint, the user having
knee pain can perform the leg training with a safe conscience.
As a modification of this embodiment, a footplate 240' shown in
FIG. 37 may be used. In this footplate, each of first and second
movable plates (261, 262) is pivotally supported to each of a base
260 and a step board 263. In addition, the first and second movable
plates (261, 262) are movably coupled to each other by use of a pin
264. On the other hand, the base 260 is connected to the step board
263 by a pin 265. Springs 266 are disposed between the base 260 and
the step board 263. Thus, by use of the footplate obtained by
coupling the pair of movable plates (261, 262) in a cross shape, it
is possible to provide a uniform downward movement of the footplate
regardless of the foot position on the footplate 240'.
The coupling mechanism of the present invention is essential to
movably couple the support portion to the base such that the load
applied to the leg by the user's own weight changes by the relative
positional displacement between the foot position and the position
of center of gravity of the user, and to limit a movable direction
of the support portion such that at least when the load applied to
the leg increases, a direction of the relative positional
displacement between the foot position and the position of center
of gravity is substantially limited to the direction of flexion and
extension of knee joint. On the condition that the user sits on the
seat member 2, the center of gravity of the user is located at
slightly forward position of the user's hip. Therefore, the
position of the center of gravity can be regarded as "a slightly
forward position of the center of the seat member". In this case,
in the coupling mechanism of the seat-type leg training equipment
shown in FIGS. 36A and 36B, the support portion is movably
supported to the base such that the load applied to the leg by the
user's own weight changes by the relative positional displacement
between the foot position and "the slightly forward position of the
center of the seat member", and a movable direction of the support
portion is limited such that at least when the load applied to the
leg increases, a direction of the relative positional displacement
between the foot position and "the slightly forward position of the
center of the seat member" is substantially limited to the
direction of flexion and extension of knee joint.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
As described above, according to the leg training equipment of the
present invention, a relatively light load can be applied to the
leg including the femoral region in a state of supporting a part of
the user's body weight by the support portion, so that a muscle
contraction of the femoral region can be effectively caused to
enhance sugar metabolism. Therefore, it is possible to provide an
appropriate leg training to the users who show a reduction in
exercise capacity due to arthritic pain or deterioration in muscle
strength.
In addition, the leg training equipment of the present invention
substantially limits the direction of the relative positional
displacement between the foot position and the position of center
of gravity in the direction of flexion and extension of knee joint.
This means that a direction of applying the load can be limited in
a direction of connecting the center of knee and the second toe.
When the load is applied in this direction, the user having knee
pain such as osteoarthritis of the knee joint can safely perform
the leg training without clinical deterioration or knee pain.
Thus, the present invention is expected to be widely used as an
exercise assist device suitable for the purpose of
prevention/improvement of lifestyle-related diseases, or
beauty/dieting exercises as well as the equipment for providing an
appropriate leg training to the users having knee diseases or
needing rehabilitation exercises for legs.
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